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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


THE 


WESTERN   SKETCH-BOOK, 


BY 

v 


JAMES  GALLAIIER 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED    BY  CROCKER  AND  BREWSTER. 

NEW    YORK :     M.  W.  DODD. 
PHILADELPHIA:    WILLIAM  L.  MARTIEN. 

1850. 

T  TT>1?  AT>V! 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1850,  by 

JAMES     GALLAHER, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


STEREOTYPED  AT  THE 
BOSTON      STEREOTYPE      FOUNDRY 


PREFACE. 


THE  articles  in  the  Western  Sketch  Book  are 
mostly  on  religious  subjects.  It  was  not  intended, 
however,  that  they  should  be  exclusively  so  :  some 
of  the  anecdotes  are  merely  historical ;  yet  it  is 
hoped  that  they  will  convey  to  the  reader  valuable 
information. 

In  the  sketches  here  furnished  of  "men  and 
things,"  great  regard  has  been  had  to  accuracy  and 
truth.  The  facts  stated  may  be  relied  on  as  of  the 
most  authentic  character.  It  was  the  settled  purpose 
of  the  author,  that  as  an  historical  record,  this  pub 
lication  should  occupy  the  highest  ground.  There 
are  a  few  articles  of  an  allegorical  cast,  given  as 
professed  extracts  from  ancient  books  which  have 
long  since  been  lost  —  "the  Book  of  Ahijah  the 
Shilonite,"  "the  Book  of  Nathan  the  Prophet," 
"the  Book  of  the  Visions  of  Iddo  the  Seer,"  &c. 
The  reader  will,  of  course,  understand  that  the 
giving  of  these  articles  as  "extracts,"  is  merely  a 
part  of  that  allegorical  or  figurative  mode  of  repre 
sentation  which  the  author  has  chosen  to  employ. 


IV  PREFACE. 


The  views  on  the  'subject  of  revivals  of  religion, 
which  pervade  this  volume,  are  such  as  the  author 
believes  he  has  received  from  the  Bible,  and  has 
had  confirmed  by  an  experience  in  the  ministry  of 
more  than  thirty-four  years. 

When  describing  scenes  in  which  I  myself  have 
been  concerned,  I  have  used  the  pronoun  in  the  first 
person  singular.  On  this  subject  I  fully  agree  with 
Dr.  Dwight,  former  president  of  Yale  College. 

"  Dr.  Dwight,"  said  an  inquirer,  "  is  it  not  better 
for  a  minister,  when  speaking  of  himself,  to  say 
<we,'  rather  than  <!?' 

"  I  think  not,"  answered  the  doctor. 

"  But  it  avoids  the  appearance  of  egotism." 

11  Ah,  well,"  said  Dr.  Dwight,  "  I  would  rather 
have  egotism  than  wegotism." 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 
INTEODUCTION, 7 

The  Honey-Bee 9 

The  Great  Western  Revival, 19 

Recollections  of  General  Jackson, 67 

The  Eagle  and  the  Gnat, 87 

Elijah  and  the  Carmelite ;  or,  the  Evils  of  Rain, 94 

Stage-coach  Discussion, 112 

The  Skeleton  Preacher,  and  the  Congregation  of  Dry  Bones,  ..128 

The  Little  Auger  and  King  Solomon, 151 

The  Great  Men  of  the  Bible, 157 

The  Public  Rebuke , 172 

The  Living  and  the  Dead  Prophets, 177 

The  Divinity  Student, 194 

Jo  ;  or,  the  Voice  of  Conscience, 201 

Red  River, 213 

The  Red  River  Buzzard, 230 

Sudden  Conversions, 240 

Growth  in  Knowledge, 251 

Saints  to  excel  Angels  in  Glory 257 

The  Doctrines  preferred  in  Heaven, 262 

The  Millennium, 272 

Bel  and  Nebo 301 

1  * 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

where  I  stand  now,  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  years 
hence,  experience  the  same  desire  to  know  the  early 
history  of  the  mighty  west,  of  which  I  now  am  con 
scious  ?  The  answer  is  clear :  He  will.  Then  I  am 
resolved  to  "gather  up  the  fragments,"  not  already 
lost,  of  the  history  of  the  west,  and  preserve  them,  — 

"  That  ages  yet  unborn  may  read, 
And  trust  and  praise  the  Lord." 

The  west  is,  as  yet,  only  an  infant.  But  this  infant 
possesses  the  elements  of  a  fearful  and  stupendous 
growth.  Ere  long,  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  will 
open  their  eyes,  and  with  astonishment  behold  a  giant 
standing  here.  His  height  will  be  terrible,  and  his 
power  such,  that  earth's  foundations  will  bend  beneath 
his  footsteps;  and  at  the  lifting  of  his  hand  distant 
nations  will  tremble. 

Yes,  the  teeming  millions  of  a  crowded  population 
will  soon  spread  over  this  wide  and  wonderful  region. 
The  banks  of  these  long  rivers  will  be  studded  with 
"cloud-capt  towers  and  gorgeous  palaces;"  and  reli 
gion,  and  education,  and  science,  and  cultivated  society 
will  be  here,  to  an  extent  that  earth  has  not  witnessed 
in  ages  that  are  gone.  In  that  day,  the  mighty  popula 
tion  of  the  west  will  eagerly  inquire  after  the  early 
history  of  their  country. 

I  have  determined,  therefore,  to  gather  up  the  facts 
within  the  period  of  my  own  memory,  and  arrange 
them,  and  dedicate  the  record  to  the  generations  fol 
lowing.  A  larger  work,  entitled  "  The  Early  Religious 
History  of  the  West,"  which  the  author  has  for  years 
been  preparing,  is  more  particularly  referred  to,  than 
the  mere  sketches  contained  in  the  present  volume. 


THE     HONEY-BEE. 


THE  HONEY-BEE. 


How  strong  is  the  propensity  in  man  to  honor  the 
prophet  that  is  dead,  while  he  rejects  the  prophet  that 
is  living !  Scribes,  Pharisees,  and  Jewish  rulers  would 
build  the  sepulchres  of  Samuel,  Isaiah,  and  Zachariah  ; 
but  when  Jesus  Christ,  the  living  Prophet,  appeared, 
preaching  the  same  truths,  they  cried  out,  "  Away  with 
him  from  the  earth  !  Crucify  him  !  crucify  him  !  " 

Men  admire  and  eulogize  those  very  attributes  in  the 
dead  prophet  which  they  cannot  bear  in  the  prophet 
that  is  living.  Go  to  any  revival-fighting  Presbyterian 
minister  in  the  west  or  south.  He  will  expatiate  with 
much  enthusiasm  on  the  preaching  of  John  Knox,  when 
such  multitudes,  in  one  generation,  were  turned  from 
darkness  to  light.  He  will  hastily  search  his  library 
for  a  printed  account  of  that  remarkable  sermon  of 
Livingston,  in  Scotland,  on  the  Monday  of  a  sacra 
mental  meeting,  under  which  five  hundred  souls  were 
converted  to  God.  He  will  speak,  with  great  interest 
and  earnestness,  of  the  blessed  results  that  followed  the 
preaching  of  Samuel  Davies  in  Virginia,  and  James 
Waddell,  afterwards  known  far  and  wide  as  the  Blind 
Preacher  mentioned  by  Wirt  in  his  "  British  Spy." 
These  preachers  and  their  hearers  are  gone  from  earth. 

"  Their  hatred  and  their  love  is  lost, 
Their  envy  buried  in  the  dust ; 
They  have  no  share  in  all  that's  done 
Beneath  the  circuit  of  the  sun." 


10  THE    WESTERN     SKETCH-BOOK. 

But  speak  to  this  same  man  of  a  revival  in  the  present 
age.  "Ah,  there  were  sad  indiscretions!"  "animal 
excitement !  "  "  spasmodic  movements !  "  &c.  That  is 
it :  build  the  sepulchre  of  the  prophet  that  is  dead,  and 
scowl  at  the  prophet  that  is  living.  Eulogize  Elisha 
and  Daniel,  but  stone  Stephen  to  death,  and  crucify 
his  Lord  and  Master. 

In  like  manner,  we  are  ready  to  acknowledge  a 
providence  of  God  toward  those  who  are  dead  and 
gone,  which  we  are  slow  to  admit  in  reference  to  those 
now  living.  We  can  believe  that  God  sent  against 
Pharaoh  "  swarms  of  flies,"  armies  of  frogs,  and  le 
gions  of  locusts.  These  were  judgments  from  God. 
His  hand  was  made  bare.  We  see  it  at  once,  and 
confess  it  without  difficulty;  for  these  things  took 
place  above  three  thousand  years  ago.  We  can  be 
lieve  that  God  brought  the  quails  around  the  camp  of 
the  Israelites  as  they  journeyed  through  the  wilderness, 
and  that  he  sent  hornets  before  them  to  drive  out  the 
Canaanite,  the  Hittite,  and  the  Hivite,  (Ex.  xxiii.  28,) 
for  these  things,  also,  were  done  in  a  remote  age  of  the 
world.  But  are  we  willing  to  believe  that  there  are,  at 
this  hour,  around  the  church  and  around  the  individual 
saint,  the  same  careful,  constant,  almighty  guardianship 
and  direction  that  there  were  in  the  days  of  Moses,  of 
Joseph,  and  of  Abraham  ?  Are  we  willing  to  believe 
that  now  the  sparrow  does  not  fall  to  the  ground  with 
out  the  hand  of  God  ?  and  that  the  very  hairs  of  our 
heads  are  all  numbered?  To  such  questions,  many 
will  give  the  practical  answer,  "No!" 

This  infidelity  concerning  the  presence  and  provi 
dence  of  God  in  our  own  day,  is  the  crying  sin  of  the 
present  age.  The  High  and  Holy  One  is  the  same  from 


THE    HONEY- BEE.  11 

everlasting  to  everlasting.  With  him  there  is  no  "  vari 
ableness,  or  shadow  of  turning."  And  had  we  an 
inspired  account  of  what  God  is  doing  now  in  behalf 
of  his  redeemed  people,  we  should  find  that  for  the 
good  of  each  believer  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  stretched 
out  still,  and  that  his  providence  has  all  the  divine 
minuteness  and  particularity,  at  this  moment,  which  it 
possessed  when  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job  stood  before 
him. 

Modern  unbelief  will  scarcely  scruple  to  admit  that 
God  may  have  controlled  the  affairs  of  this  world  long, 
long  ago  •  but  now,  in  this  enlightened  age,  it  is  fanat 
icism  to  believe  in  a  particular,  all-directing  providence. 
Now,  all  events  are  the  sport  of  blind  chance,  contin 
gency,  accident. 

I  am  about  to  state  a  well-authenticated  fact  in  the 
early  history  of  the  western  country.  The  honey-bee, 
with  strict,  constant,  and  invariable  uniformity,  goes  in 
front  of  the  Christian  population,  as  the  wave  of  emigra 
tion  rolls  westward.  No  one  fact  is  more  unquestionably 
established  than  this,  in  the  experience  and  observation 
of  frontier  western  men.  Ten,  twenty,  thirty  miles  in 
advance  of  the  white  settlements,  the  honey-bee  swarms 
in  every  forest,  filling  with  delicious  honey  the  hollows 
in  the  trees,  and  often  the  caverns,  crevices,  and  open 
ings  in  the  rocks.  Long  has  it  been  the  custom,  with 
those  near  our  western  border,  to  take  their  wagons,  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  and  go  a  few  miles  in 
advance  of  the  population,  and  load  them  with  honey. 
But  go  two  hundred  miles  into  the  Indian  country,  and 
there  has  not  been  a  honey-bee  there  in  two  thousand 
years  —  never,  within  the  memory  of  the  present  race 
of  Indians.  The  Indians  regard  the  bee  as  the  certain 


12  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

forerunner  of  the  white  men.  The  moment  they  find 
that  the  bee  has  penetrated  their  country,  they  begin  to 
lament  and  wail — "The  white  man  is  coming!  We 
must  give  up  the  country !  " 

I  will  state  another  fact.  The  quail  follows  the  white 
man.  Quails,  by  hundreds  and  by  thousands,  come 
flocking  around  the  tent,  the  camp,  or  the  cabin  of  the 
white  man  as  he  journeys  west.  But  go  one  hundred 
miles  into  the  Indian  territory,  no  quail  has  ever  been 
seen  there  since  the  red  man  occupied  the  country. 
How  do  you  account  for  these  facts?  Let  me  ask, 
how  do  you  account  for  the  hornets  going  before  the 
camp  of  Israel,  to  drive  out  the  Canaanite,  the  Hittite, 
and  the  Hivite  ?  How  do  you  account  for  the  quails 
coming  round  the  camp  of  Israel  in  such  quantities  ? 
In  both  cases  we  see  the  hand  of  God.  "  The  church  " 
was  with  Israel  "  in  the  wilderness,"  (Acts  vii.  38,) 
and  it  was  for  the  sake  of  the  church  those  wonders 
were  done.  God  now  has  a  church  among  our  western 
population.  The  ark  of  his  covenant  is  there,  and  still 
his  hand  does  wonders  for  Z  ion's  sake. 

As  the  above  facts  may  appear  strange  to  some  of 
my  readers,  I  wish  here,  somewhat  at  large,  to  "  speak 
what  I  know,  and  testify  what  I  have  seen."  My 
father  lived,  from  my  earliest  recollection,  within  a  few 
miles  of  the  Tennessee  River.  South  of  this  river, 
within  the  bounds  of  the  state  of  Tennessee,  was  the 
Indian  territory.  It  was  a  lovely  and  inviting  country, 
but  the  Indians  positively  refused  to  sell  it  to  the  white 
people  on  any  conditions.  In  this  obstinate  refusal  they 
persisted  for  more  than  twenty  years ;  and  the  wave 
of  American  emigration  in  that  direction  was  checked, 
and  stood,  like  the  tide  of  Jordan  in  the  days  of  Joshua, 


THE    HONBY-BEE.  13 

as  if  held  back  by  an  arm  divine.  At  length  the  fore 
runner  of  the  white  man  passed  the  barrier,  and  spread 
among  the  red  people  consternation  far  and  wide.  I 
remember  the  morning  well,  when  my  father's  brother 
called  at  our  dwelling  and  made  the  announcement, 
"  The  bees  have  crossed  the  Tennessee,  and  are  spread 
ing  among  the  Indians,  who  are  greatly  alarmed,  and 
believe  that  they  must  now  give  up  their  country." 
Few  records  have  been  preserved  in  the  west  of  the 
events  of  that  early  day.  I  cannot,  therefore,  be  exact 
as  to  dates.  But  this  I  remember  well  —  that,  shortly 
after  the  above  announcement,  the  Indians  left  the 
country,  and  the  beautiful  land  which  they  had  held 
so  long  was  covered  with  a  numerous  and  enterprising 
white  population. 

Many  years  ago,  I  was  informed,  by  what  I  then  con 
sidered  good  authority,  that  when  the  bees  first  crossed 
the  Ohio  River,  in  the  neighborhood  of  where  Shawnee- 
town  now  stands,  the  old  Indian  chiefs  went  through 
the  woods  wailing  and  lamenting,  "  The  white  man  is 
coming  !  We  must  leave  the  place  of  our  birth,  the 
graves  of  our  fathers,  and  go  to  the  west !  The  white 
man  is  coming  !  " 

I  distinctly  remember  the  narrative  given  at  my 
father's  fireside,  by  Andrew  Jackson,  while  acting  as 
one  of  the  judges  of  our  state,  and  some  time  before 
his  election  to  the  office  of  major-general  of  the  militia 
of  Tennessee.  He  told  of  that  memorable  mustering 
of  the  bees  at  Nashville,  which  has  since  been  so  care 
fully  recorded  in  Hon.  Judge  Haywood's  "  History  of 
Tennessee."  The  period  was  about  the  year  1800  or 
1801.  Nashville  was  then  a  very  small  village,  just 
struggling  into  existence.  On  a  certain  day,  swarms 
2 


14  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

of  bees  began  to  collect  in  the  garden  of  Judge 
McNary.  Five  swarms  were  there  at  once  —  present 
ly,  ten,  twenty,  thirty,  forty,  fifty.  They  clustered 
together  on  every  shrub  in  the  garden,  then  on  the 
fence  that  surrounded  it,  banked  up  on  each  side  of  the 
fence,  until  barrels,  hogsheads,  and  wagon-loads  were 
there.  The  population  became  greatly  excited. 
They  apprehended  that  this  phenomenon  must  be 
ominous,  and  multitudes  came  from  far  to  witness  it. 
But,  so  far  as  I  know,  it  has  remained  without  explana 
tion,  unless,  indeed,  the  opinion  prevalent  among  the 
pioneer  population  be  taken  as  such  ;  to  wit,  that  this 
was  the  mustering  of  the  armies  of  the  honey-bee,  pre 
paratory  to  their  sallying  forth  to  take  possession  of  the 
mighty  plains  of  the  great  west ;  for  as  yet  the  white 
man  had  only  taken  possession  of  portions  of  Tennes 
see,  Kentucky,  and  Ohio. 

When  the  news  reached  the  settlements  of  the  Creole 
French,  in  Southern  Missouri,  that  the  honey-bee  had 
appeared  at  Kaskaskia,  in  Illinois,  a  lady  inquired  of 
her  neighbor,  "  Could  we  not  send  over  and  get  a  pair 
of  them,  and  raise  bees  ?  " 

An  American  female  had  reached  St.  Genevieve,  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  somewhat  in  ad 
vance  of  the  emigrating  multitude.  She  discovered  a 
honey-bee  dancing  at  the  window  of  a  house  occupied 
by  a  family  of  Creole  French.  "  Why,  there's  a  bee," 
said  she  to  the  lady  of  the  house.  "  Ah  !  "  said  the 
lady,  "  is  that  the  thing  that  makes  the  honey  ?  Well, 
could  we  not  catch  it,  and  tame  it,  and  keep  it  ?  " 

It  was  stated  to  me  by  an  old  citizen  of  Missouri, 
that  when  the  first  swarm  of  bees  came  to  St.  Louis, 
and  settled,  in  a  large  mass,  on  some  object  in  the  town, 


THE    HONEY-BEE.  15 

several  of  the  primitive  population  ran  to  procure  straw 
and  fire  to  burn  them  up,  thinking  that  they  were 
wasps,  or  hornets,  or  something  in  that  line.  But  an 
American  was  providentially  there,  who  remonstrated 
against  giving  to  the  strangers  a  reception  so  rude  and 
inhospitable.  He  explained  something  of  their  nature 
and  usefulness,  and  prevailed  on  some  one  to  construct 
a  hive,  and  allow  the  new  comers  a  home  in  the  then 
young  metropolis  of  the  mighty  west. 

About  the  month  of  August,  in  the  year  1840,  at 
Plattville,  in  Wisconsin,  I  met  a  Methodist  missionary, 
named  Cavanaugh,  who  had  been  for  years  employed 
among  the  Indians  up  near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's. 
He  told  me  that  the  progress  of  the  bees,  moving  as  a 
"  pillar  of  cloud  "  in  front  of  the  white  settlements,  was 
then  an  object  of  troubled  apprehension  and  dread 
among  the  Indians  where  he  labored.  "  Old  Indian 
chiefs,"  said  he,  uwill  now  ask,  with  trembling 
anxiety,  '  How  far  have  the  bees  got  up  the  Missis 
sippi?"3  In  the  month  of  February,  1849,  at  Co 
lumbus,  in  Indiana,  I  met  again  this  same  brother 
Cavanaugh,  and  inquired,  "  How  is  it  now  with  your 
Indians  and  the  bees?"  "Ah,"  said  he,  "the  bees 
have  reached  those  Indians  now,  and  the  white  emi 
grant  is  close  upon  their  trail." 

The  following  passage  is  found  in  the  "  Report  of 
the  Exploring  Expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  in 
the  Year  1842,  by  Captain  J.  C.  Fremont,"  p.  69  : 
"  Here,  on  the  summit,  where  the  stillness  was  absolute, 
unbroken  by  any  sound,  and  the  solitude  complete, 
we  thought  ourselves  beyond  the  regions  of  animated 
life ;  but  while  we  were  sitting  on  the  rock,  a  solitary 
bee  came  winging  his  flight  from  the  eastern  valley 


16  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

and  lit  on  the  knee  of  one  of  the  men.  We  pleased 
ourselves  with  the  idea  that  he  was  the  first  of  his 
species  to  cross  the  mountain  barrier  —  a  solitary 
pioneer  to  foretell  the  advance  of  civilization." 

Gregg  in  his  "  Commerce  of  the  Prairies,"  p.  178, 
vol.  i.,  says,  "  The  honey-bee  appears  to  have  emi 
grated  exclusively  from  the  east,  as  its  march  has  been 
observed  westward.  But  none  have  yet  reached  this 
portion  of  the  western  dominion."  And  at  p.  206, 
vol.  ii.,  he  says,  "  The  bee,  among  western  pioneers,  is 
the  proverbial  precursor  of  the  Anglo-American  popu 
lation.  In  fact,  the  aborigines  of  the  frontier  have 
generally  corroborated  this  notion,  for  they  used  to  say 
they  knew  the  white  man  was  not  far  behind  when 
the  bees  appeared  among  them." 

Many  other  interesting  specifications  might  be  given, 
but  my  design  is  not  to  extend  this  article  beyond  a 
reasonable  limit.  Enough  has  been  said  to  show  that 
this  notable  fact  in  the  history  of  western  emigration 
is  a  clear  manifestation  of  the  hand  of  God.  And  not 
only  so,  but  it  is  a  dispensation  of  great  kindness  to 
his  people,  many  of  whom  are  found  among  the  fron 
tier  emigrants.  I  have  seen  very  pious  people  sending 
out  their  children  to  collect  this  honey  and  the  honey 
comb.  The  comb  yielded  the  beeswax,  a  valuable 
commodity.  The  honey  also  was  an  important  article 
in  the  commerce  of  the  country.  The  western  rivers 
bore  these  articles  to  New  Orleans,  where  they  were 
sold  or  exchanged  for  the  benefit  of  the  families  in  the 
frontier  settlements.  Many  households  were  thus 
made  comfortable,  who,  without  such  a  provision  in 
divine  providence,  must  have  felt  the  pinchings  of 
want.  Often  has  the  western  minister  expatiated  on 


THE   HONEY-BEE:  17 

these  themes.  Often  has  he  reminded  the  people  that 
Jehovah  is  a  covenant-keeping  God,  that  he  "  keepeth 
covenant  and  mercy  with  them  that  love  him,  to  a 
thousand  generations  j"  that  the  temporal  as  well  as 
the  spiritual  wants  of  his  people  are  the  objects  of  his 
care.  And  as  he  scattered  the  manna  over  the  face  of 
the  wilderness  before  his  ancient  church,  so  now  he 
is  mindful  of  his  covenant.  He  giveth  bread  to  the 
hungry,  and  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  have  abundant 
reason  to  say  that  his  mercy  endureth  forever. 

There  are  persons  now  living  in  Illinois,  in  Missouri, 
in  Iowa,  and  in  Wisconsin,  who  arrived  there  before 
there  was  a  quail  in  all  that  country.  But  soon  after 
the  Anglo-Americans  had  pitched  their  tents  in  the  land, 
the  quails  came  around  them  by  thousands  and  by  tens 
of  thousands.  Why  is  this  ?  From  whence  do  they 
originate  ?  It  is  the  hand  of  God.  I  will  mention  one 
great  purpose  that  is  answered  by  the  quail.  It  strikes 
dumb  the  lips  of  pride.  He  who  wishes  not  to  see  the 
hand  of  God,  will  say  the  bees  that  go  before  the  wave 
of  American  population  proceed  from  domesticated 
bees  among  the  settlers,  although  the  vastness  of  their 
multitude,  and  notable  facts  like  that  at  Nashville, 
utterly  refute  the  theory.  But  where  the  sceptic  can 
find  even  the  shadow  of  an  argument  against  the  hand 
of  God,  he  will,  like  Pharaoh  of  old,  harden  his  heart. 
But  ask  him,  "  From  whence  come  the  quails  ?  From 
domesticated  quails  ?  He  is  dumb.  The  fact  is,  you" 
cannot  tame  a  quail.  At  least,  I  have  known  some 
very  thorough  experiments,  which  resulted  in  total 
failure,  and  believe  that  the  quail  is  generally  regarded 
as  incapable  of  domestication.  Should  any  one  say  the 
quails  feed  on  the  farmer's  grain,  —  his  corn  and  his 


18  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

wheat,  —  and  therefore  they  follow  the  American 
emigrants,  I  answer,  that  this  does  not  touch  the  mys 
tery  ;  because  the  prairie  hen,  or  American  grouse,  the 
wild  goose,  and  the  crane,  are  just  as  fond  of  corn  as 
the  quails  —  perhaps  more  so.  But  these  birds  are  all 
over  the  face  of  the  wilderness,  and  live  independent 
of  the  cultivated  fields  of  the  white  man.  Yet 
when  the  farmer  comes  near  their  wild  abode,  and 
ploughs  up  the  earth,  and  produces  his  crop  of  corn, 
you  will  see  the  prairie  hen,  the  wild  goose,  the  crane, 
clustering  around  the  corn  stacks,  and  manifesting  far 
more  greediness  for  grain  than  you  ever  see  exhibited 
by  the  quail.  The  mystery  is  not  touched.  Whence 
comes  the  quail  ? 

Ascertain  from  whence  the  hornets  came,  that  went 
before  the  standard  of  Israel ;  ascertain  from  whence 
the  quails  came,  that  fell  around  their  camp ;  and  then 
you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  understanding  the  phe 
nomena  that  now  precede  and  accompany  the  standard 
of  Zion,  as  she  lengthens  her  cords  and  enlarges  her 
boundaries.  God's  church  is  in  that  moving  multitude 
which  is  pressing  westward.  The  ark  of  his  covenant 
is  there.  And  now,  as  in  ancient  times,  his  church 
is  " engraven  on  the  palms  of  his  hands."  You  can 
account  for  the  above-mentioned  facts,  just  as  you  ac 
count  for  the  sea  giving  up  its  dead  at  the  sound  of  the 
last  trumpet.  It  is  the  hand  of  God. 


. 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  19 

THE  GREAT  WESTERN  REVIVAL 

OF   1800. 


WHOEVER  has  carefully  examined  the  history  of  Israel, 
as  detailed  in  the  sacred  oracles,  may  have  remarked, 
that  very  often  the  prophets  endeavored  to  recall  to  the 
minds  of  that  people  the  period  and  the  scenes  of  their 
first  espousal  to  God.  Indeed,  there  is  no  narrative 
more  calculated  to  wake  up  in  our  own  heart  the  living 
emotions  of  religion,  than  the  story  of  our  first  saving 
acquaintance  with  Christ.  It  is  profitable  to  the  indi 
vidual,  to  the  family,  and  to  the  church  at  large,  that 
these  manifestations  of  God's  power  and  mercy  should 
be  told  to  children,  and  to  children's  children. 

In  relation  to  this  matter,  I  have  often  thought  that 
the  church  of  God  in  the  west  has  reason  to  adopt  the 
language  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that 
fear  God,  and  I  will  declare  what  he  hath  done  for  my 
soul."  "  He  brought  me  up  out  of  a  horrible  pit,  out 
of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock,  and 
established  my  goings.  And  he  hath  put  a  new  song 
in  my  mouth,  even  praise  unto  our  God :  many  shall 
see  it  and  fear,  and  shall  trust  in  the  Lord." 

It  is  now  my  purpose  to  sketch  some  of  the  scenes 
in  the  early  history  of  the  church  of  God  in  the  west. 
Before  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  large  bodies 
of  emigrants  had  settled  in  Tennessee  and  in  Kentucky. 


20  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Many  of  them  were  from  Virginia,  many  were  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  many  also  were  from  North  and  South 
Carolina.  Quite  a  large  number  of  these  were  religious 
men.  Extensive  and  powerful  revivals  of  religion 
had  been  granted  to  the  American  churches,  while  we 
were  yet  colonies  of  Great  Britain.  In  New  England, 
Edwards,  Bellamy,  and  their  fellows,  were  the  favored 
instruments.  In  New  Jersey,  Gilbert  and  William 
Tennant,  and  their  con  temporaries,  were  greatly  blessed. 
In  Virginia,  Samuel  Davies,  whose  sermons  have  since 
been  so  widely  circulated,  and  James  Waddell,  labored 
with  immense  success.  Among  my  earliest  recollec 
tions  are  the  glowing  descriptions  which  old  persons, 
then  living  in  my  father's  neighborhood,  would  give 
of  the  preaching  of  this  James  Waddell.  There  was 
a  kindling  animation  in  the  aged  countenance,  and 
their  eyes  would  fill  with  tears,  at  the  mention  of  his 
name.  He  is  the  Blind  Preacher  so  eloquently  described 
by  Hon.  William  Wirt  in  his  "  British  Spy."  When 
Wirt  saw  him,  he  was  old,  and  frail,  and  blind ;  yet 
evidently  the  wreck  of  a  superior  man.  Long  before 
this  period,  he  had  been  a  messenger  of  mercy  to  mul 
titudes  of  the  perishing  ;  and  the  gospel,  through  his 
instrumentality,  had  been  to  many  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy.  It  should  be  mentioned  further,  that  in  the  Caro- 
linas  also,  and  in  Georgia,  the  gospel,  at  this  time,  had 
made  great  progress.  Georgia  was  one  of  the  first 
points  in  America  where  George  Whitefield  preached ; 
and  from  thence  to  the  most  northern  colony  he  found 
the  fields  white  to  the  harvest.  Indeed,  there  were 
such  religious  prospects  in  our  country  before  the 
revolution,  that  Jonathan  Edwards  entertained  and 
published  the  opinion  that  the  millennium,  or  latter 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  21 

day  glory,  would  first  shed  its  light  on  the  souls  of 
men  in  America. 

Now,  such  was  the  condition  of  the  American 
church,  when  that  wave  of  population,  which  had  risen 
on  the  sea-shore,  and  rolled  abroad  over  the  Atlantic 
regions,  began  to  ripple  over  the  comb  of  the  Alle- 
ghany,  and  rush  down  and  spread  itself  over  the  fertile 
plains  of  the  west.  Many  of  the  first  emigrants  from 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  the  Carolinas,  carried  their 
religion  with  them.  And  it  seems  that,  at  that  early 
period,  religion  could  better  "bear  transportation," 
than  at  a  later  day. 

War  has  almost  invariably  a  demoralizing  tendency ; 
and  the  war  of  our  revolution,  however  necessary  and 
important  in  its  connection,  was  not  exempt  from  this 
unhappy  concomitant.  But,  perhaps,  in  no  other  part 
of  our  country  were  the  sad  results  of  war  realized, 
at  that  time,  to  the  same  extent  as  in  the  new  settle 
ments  of  the  west.  There  the  supply  of  Bibles  and 
pastors  was  limited.  Religious  privileges  were  few. 
And  many  of  the  population  were  as  sheep  having  no 
shepherd.  There  was  less,  therefore,  to  counteract 
the  evils  incident  to  war  than  in  other  sections  of  our 
land. 

Above  all  this,  it  must  be  observed,  that  when  peace 
was  concluded  with  Great  Britain  in  the  year  1783, 
and  other  citizens  could  return  to  the  pursuits  of  peace 
ful  life,  and  the  enjoyment  of  gospel  ordinances,  the 
frontier  population  of  the  west  were  embroiled  with 
hostile  Indians  for  the  space  of  half  a  generation. 
During  this  period  of  fierce  conflict  between  the  white 
and  the  red  man,  those  Indian  tribes  that  hung  around 
our  western  border  produced  not  a  few  "men  of 


22  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Headed  by  some  of  these  daring  chiefs,  a  strong 
band  of  Indians  would  make  a  sudden  incursion  into 
the  white  settlements,  and  murder,  burn,  rob,  and  perpe 
trate  cruelty  in  the  most  frightful  and  barbarous  forms. 
The  scalping-knife  was  red  with  the  blood  of  the 
mother,  the  tomahawk  was  buried  in  the  brain  of  the 
helpless  child !  Until,  terrified  with  the  apprehension 
of  the  vengeance  they  had  provoked,  the  Indians  would 
fly  with  the  utmost  precipitation.  Then,  for  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  around,  the  white  population  was  aroused, 
and  the  Indians  were  pursued  not  only  with  retaliating, 
but  with  exterminating  vengeance.  Who  will  wonder, 
that,  when  seventeen  years  of  such  life  as  this  came 
right  in  after  the  seven  years  of  the  revolutionary  war, 
the  Sabbath  and  sacred  things  were  in  a  great  measure 
forgotten  or  trodden  down  ?  A  generation  sprang  up, 
in  which  dexterity  and  prowess  in  Indian  warfare  were 
the  great  objects  of  ambition,  and,  indeed,  the  high  road 
to  fame.  And  in  the  mean  while,  the  light  of  religion, 
carried  to  the  west  at  the  time  of  its  first  settlement, 
surrounded  long  by  adverse  influences,  shone  but 
faintly,  while  iniquity  abounded  and  waxed  bold. 

It  is  necessary  here  to  pause  and  notice  the  state  of 
things  in  Europe  at  this  period.  Our  country,  when 
young,  was  far  more  influenced  by  Europe  than  she  is 
now.  The  year  1728  is  memorable  as  the  great  era 
of  infidelity  in  Europe.  Voltaire  formed,  about  this 
period,  his  great  plan  for  destroying  the  Christian 
religion.  I  quote  the  language  of  Dr.  Dwight,  of  Yale 
College.  This  eminent  writer  observes  that  Voltaire, 
for  the  purpose  of  blotting  out  Christianity,  "  engaged, 
at  several  succeeding  periods,  a  number  of  men,  distin 
guished  for  power,  talents,  reputation,  and  influence  — 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  23 

all  deadly  enemies  to  the  gospel,  atheists,  men  of  profli 
gate  principles  and  profligate  lives.  This  design  he 
pursued  with  unabated  zeal  fifty  years  j  and  was 
seconded  by  his  associates  with  an  ardor  and  industry 
scarcely  inferior  to  his  own.  In  consequence  of  their 
united  labors,  and  of  the  labors  of  others,  from  time  to 
time  combined  with  them,  they  ultimately  spread 
the  design  throughout  a  great  part  of  Europe;  and 
embarked  in  it  individuals,  at  little  distances,  over 
almost  the  whole  of  that  continent.  Their  adherents 
inserted  themselves  into  every  place,  office,  and  employ 
ment,  in  which  their  agency  might  become  efficacious, 
and  which  furnished  an  opportunity  of  spreading  their 
corruptions.  They  were  found  in  every  literary  insti 
tution,  from  the  abecedarian  school  to  the  academy 
of  sciences ;  and  in  every  civil  office,  from  that  of  the 
bailiff  to  that  of  the  monarch.  They  swarmed  in  the 
palace  ;  they  haunted  the  church.  Wherever  mischief 
could  be  done,  they  were  found ;  and  wherever  they 
were  found,  mischief  was  extensively  done.  Of  books 
they  controlled  the  publication,  the  sale,  and  the  char 
acter.  An  immense  number  they  formed  ;  an  immense 
number  they  forged;  prefixed  to  them  the  names  of 
reputable  writers,  and  sent  them  into  the  world,  to  be 
sold  for  a  song  ;  and  when  that  could  not  be  done,  to 
be  given  away.  Within  a  period  shorter  than  could 
have  been  imagined,  they  possessed  themselves,  to  a 
great  extent,  of  a  control,  nearly  absolute,  of  the  literary, 
religious,  and  political  state  of  Europe. 

"  With  these  advantages  in  their  hands,  it  will  easily 
be  believed,  that  they  left  no  instrument  unemployed, 
and  no  measure  untried,  to  accomplish  their  own  malig 
nant  purposes.  With  a  diligence,  courage,  constancy, 


5J4  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

activity,  and  perseverance,  which  might  rival  the  efforts 
of  demons  themselves,  they  penetrated  into  every 
corner  of  human  society.  Scarcely  a  man,  woman,  or 
child  was  left  unassailed,  wherever  there  was  a  single 
hope  that  the  attack  might  be  successful.  Books 
were  written  and  published,  in  innumerable  multitudes, 
in  which  infidelity  was  brought  down  to  the  level 
of  peasants,  and  even  of  children,  and  poured  with 
immense  assiduity  into  the  cottage  and  the  school. 
Others,  of  a  superior  kind,  crept  into  the  shop  and  the 
farm-house  ;  and  others,  of  a  still  higher  class,  found 
their  way  to  the  drawing-room,  the  university,  and  the 
palace.  The  business  of  all  men  who  were  of  any 
importance,  and  the  education  of  the  children  of  all 
such  men,  were,  as  far  as  possible,  engrossed,  or  at  least 
influenced,  by  these  banditti  of  the  moral  world  ;  and 
the  hearts  of  those  who  had  no  importance  but  in  their 
numbers  and  physical  strength.  A  sensual,  profligate 
nobility,  and  princes,  if  possible,  still  more  sensual  and 
profligate,  easily  yielded  themselves  and  their  children 
into  the  hands  of  these  minions  of  corruption.  Too 
ignorant,  too  enervated,  or  too  indolent,  to  understand, 
or  even  to  inquire  that  they  might  understand,  the  ten 
dency  of  all  these  efforts,  they  marched  quietly  on  to 
the  gulf  of  ruin,  which  was  already  open  to  receive 
them.  With  these  was  combined  a  priesthood,  which, 
in  all  its  dignified  ranks,  was  still  more  putrid;  and 
which  eagerly  yielded  up  the  surplice  and  the  lawn, 
the  desk  and  the  altar,  to  destroy  that  Bible  which 
they  had  vowed  to  defend  as  well  as  to  preach,  and 
to  renew  the  crucifixion  of  that  Redeemer  whom  they 
had  sworn  to  worship.  By  these  agents,  and  these 
efforts,  the  plague  was  spread  with  rapidity,  and  to  an 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  25 

extent  which  astonished  heaven  and  earth ;  and  life 
went  out,  not  in  solitary  cases,  but  by  a  universal 
extinction. 

"  While  these  measures  were  thus  going  on,  with  a 
success  scarcely  interrupted,  Dr.  Adam  Weishaupt, 
professor  of  the  canon  law  in  the  university  of  Ingold- 
stadt,  a  city  of  Bavaria,  a  man  of  no  contemptible 
talents,  but  of  immense  turpitude,  and  a  Jesuit,  estab 
lished  the  society  of  Illuminees.  Into  this  establishment 
he  brought  all  the  systematized  iniquity  of  his  brother 
hood  —  distinguished  beyond  every  other  class  of  men 
for  cunning,  mischief,  an  absolute  destitution  of  con 
science,  an  absolute  disregard  of  all  the  interests  of 
man,  and  a  torpid  insensibility  to  moral  obligation. 
No  fraternity,  for  so  long  a  time,  or  to  so  great  an 
extent,  united  within  its  pale  such  a  mass  of  talents, 
or  employed  in  its  service  such  a  succession  of  vigorous 
efforts.  The  serpentine  system  of  this  order  Weis 
haupt  perfectly  understood.  The  great  design  of  the 
Jesuits  had  always  been  to  engross  the  power  and  influ 
ence  of  Europe,  and  to  regulate  all  its  important  affairs. 
The  system  of  measures  which  they  had  adopted  for 
this  end,  was  superior  to  every  preceding  scheme  of 
human  policy.  To  this  design  Weishaupt,  who  was 
more  absolutely  an  atheist  than  Voltaire,  and  as  cor 
dially  wished  for  the  ruin  of  Christianity,  superadded 
a  general  intention  of  destroying  the  moral  character 
of  man.  The  system  of  policy  adopted  by  the  Jesuits 
was,  therefore,  exactly  fitted  to  his  purpose ;  for  the 
design,  with  this  superaddition,  was  exactly  the  same. 

"  With  these  advantageous  preparations,  he  boldly 
undertook  this  work  of  destruction,  and  laid  the  axe 
at  the  root  of  all  moral  principle,  and  the  sense  of  all 
3 


26  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

moral  obligation,  by  establishing  a  few  fundamental 
doctrines,  which  were  amply  sufficient  for  this  purpose. 
These  were,  that  God  is  nothing  ;  that  government  is 
a  curse,  and  authority  a  usurpation  ;  that  civil  society 
is  the  only  apostasy  of  man ;  that  the  possession  of 
property  is  robbery  ;  that  chastity  and  natural  affection 
are  mere  prejudices  ;  and  that  adultery,  assassination, 
poisoning,  and  other  crimes  of  a  similar  nature,  are 
lawful,  and  even  virtuous.  Under  these  circumstances 
were  founded  the  societies  of  Illuminism.  They 
spread,  of  course,  with  a  rapidity  which  nothing  but 
fact  could  have  induced  any  sober  mind  to  believe. 
Before  the  year  1786,  they  were  established  in  great 
numbers  throughout  Germany,  in  Sweden,  Russia, 
Poland,  Austria,  Holland,  France,  Switzerland,  Italy, 
England,  Scotland,  and  even  in  America.  In  all  these 
was  taught  the  grand  and  sweeping  principle  of  corrup 
tion,  that  the  end  sanctions  the  means  —  a  principle 
which,  if  every  where  adopted,  would  overturn  the 
universe. 

"  The  design  of  the  founder  and  his  coadjutors  was 
nothing  less  than  to  engross  the  empire  of  the  world, 
and  to  place  mankind  beneath  the  feet  of  himself  and 
his  successors. 

"  Voltaire  died  in  the  year  following  the  establish 
ment  of  Illuminism.  His  disciples,  with  one  heart 
and  one  voice,  united  in  its  interests,  and,  finding  a 
more  absolute  system  of  corruption  than  themselves  had 
been  able  to  form,  entered  eagerly  into  all  its  plans  and 
purposes.  Thenceforward,  therefore,  all  the  legions  of 
infidelity  are  to  be  considered  as  embarked  in  a  single 
bottom ;  and  as  cruising  together  against  order,  peace, 
and  virtue,  on  a  voyage  of  rapine  and  blood. 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  27 

"  The  French  revolution  burst  upon  mankind  at 
this  moment.  Here  was  opened  an  ample  field  for  the 
labors  of  these  abandoned  men  in  the  work  of  pollution 
and  death.  There  is  no  small  reason  to  believe,  that 
every  individual  Illuminee,  and  almost,  if  not  quite, 
every  infidel,  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  lent  his 
labors  when  he  could  —  and  his  wishes  when  he  could 
not — for  the  advancement  of  the  sins  and  the  miseries 
which  attended  this  unexampled  corruption.  Had  not 
God  taken  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  and  caused 
the  wicked  to  fall  into  the  pit  which  they  digged,  and 
into  the  snares  which  their  hands  had  set,  it  is  impos 
sible  to  conjecture  the  extent  to  which  they  would 
have  carried  their  devastation  of  human  happiness. 
But,  like  the  profligate  rulers  of  Israel,  those  who 
succeeded  regularly  destroyed  their  predecessors. 

"Between  ninety  and  one  hundred  of  those  who 
were  leaders  in  this  mighty  work  of  destruction,  fell  by 
the  hand  of  violence.  Enemies  to  all  men,  they  were, 
of  course,  enemies  to  each  other.  Butchers  of  the 
human  race,  they  soon  whetted  the  knife  for  each 
other's  throats  ;  and  the  tremendous  Being  who  rules 
the  universe,  whose  existence  they  had  denied  in  a 
solemn  act  of  legislation,  whose  perfections  they  had 
made  the  butt  of  public  scorn  and  private  insult,  whose 
Son  they  had  crucified  afresh,  and  whose  word  they 
had  burnt  by  the  hands  of  the  common  hangman, 
swept  them  all,  by  the  hand  of  violence,  into  an  un 
timely  grave.  The  tale  made  every  ear  which  heard 
it  tingle,  and  every  heart  chill  with  horror.  It  was,  in 
the  language  of  Ossian,  "the  song  of  death."  It  was 
like  the  reign  of  the  plague  in  a  populous  city.  Knell 
tolled  upon  knell ;  hearse  followed  hearse  ;  and  coffin 


28  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

rumbled  after  coffin ;  without  a  mourner  to  shed  a  tear 
upon  the  corpse,  or  a  solitary  attendant  to  mark  the 
place  of  the  grave.  From  one  new  moon  to  another, 
and  from  one  Sabbath  to  another,  the  world  went  forth, 
and  looked  after  the  carcasses  of  the  men  who  trans 
gressed  against  God  ;  and  they  were  an  abhorring  unto 
all  flesh." 

Our  revolutionary  war  closed  about  the  time  when 
this  French  infidelity  was  at  its  height,  and  before  its 
frightful  results  had  been  fully  disclosed. 

The  government  of  France  had  taken  part  with  us 
in  our  struggle  against  England.  The  noble-hearted 
Lafayette  had  embarked  in  our  cause  with  a  generous 
•  enthusiasm  that  deeply  affected  the  American  people. 
Other  distinguished  Frenchmen  had  been  our  friends. 
Now,  it  was  at  this  juncture,  when  we  were  disposed 
to  give  the  warmest  welcome  to  whatever  came  from 
France,  that  a  deep,  dark  tide  of  that  horrible  infidelity 
ploughed  its  way,  like  the  Gulf  Stream  through  the 
Atlantic,  and  heaved  its  huge  surges  on  the  Ameri 
can  shore.  The  valleys  were  flooded ;  the  swelling 
waves  rose  and  buried  the  hills  ;  upward  the  awful 
deluge  prevailed,  and  rolled  its  black  billows  above  the 
tops  of  the  tallest  mountains.  In  the  new  settlements 
of  the  west  the  desolation  was  dreadful.  There  were 
few  that  escaped  the  deadly  inundation.  So  rare 
were  religious  privileges,  that  it  was  extremely  difficult 
to  find  materials  sufficient  to  construct  an  ark,  in  which 
one  entire  family  might  be  saved.  It  was  proclaimed 
over  all  the  land,  that  France  — enlightened,  scientific, 
fashionable  France — had  renounced  the  gospel,  had 
burned  the  Bible  in  the  streets  of  Paris  by  the  hands 
of  the  common  hangman,  and  had  inscribed  in  broad 


'*      THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  29 

characters,  over  the  entrance  into  the  common  burying- 
ground,  that  "  death  is  an  eternal  sleep." 

And  moreover  it  was  confidently  asserted,  by  those 
who  had  opportunity  to  know,  that  Thomas  Jefferson, 
regarded  in  the  west  as  a  great  political  luminary,  had 
rejected  the  gospel,  and  adopted  the  infidelity  of  France ; 
that  most  of  our  enlightened  statesmen  were  follow 
ing  his  example.  Jefferson,  as  a  politician,  had,  at  that 
period,  immense  popularity  ;  and  the  influence  of  his 
name,  when  in  unison  with  the  downward  current  of 
depravity,  was  mighty. 

Such  was  the  attitude  of  the  west,  in  relation  to 
religion  and  religious  privileges,  from  the  year  1783  till 
1800  —  harassed  by  almost  incessant  Indian  wars, 
impelled  in  the  broad  road  by  the  folly  and  wickedness 
bound  up  in  its  own  heart,  and  bewitched  and  bewil 
dered  by  the  abominable  example  of  those  whose 
names  possessed  fascination,  because  they  were  in 
scribed  on  the  rolls  of  fame. 

In  the  midst  of  this  period  of  spiritual  darkness, 
Paine's  "  Age  of  Reason "  came  forth.  Paine  was 
favorably  known  to  the' American  people  as  a  political 
writer  during  the  conflict  of  the  revolution.  His 
works  entitled  "  Common  Sense,"  and  "  The  Rights 
of  Man,"  had  secured  for  him  a  wide-spread  reputation. 
And  in  the  minds  of  the  multitude,  he  was  closely 
identified  with  the  cause  of  American  freedom.  Rarely, 
in  his  assaults  on  the  church  of  God,  has  that  "  arch 
angel  ruined,"  whose  name  is  called  Apollyon,  been 
able  to  occupy  such  vantage-ground.  The  appeal  to 
the  American  people  was  this :  "  You  have  thrown  off 
allegiance  to  the  British  king  ;  now  throw  off  the  yoke 
of  superstition,  and  be  freemen  indeed."  Paine  scoffed 


30  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

at  all  that  was  sacred  in  religion  —  profanely  mocked 
and  blasphemed  the  ordinances  of  God.  O,  it  was  a 
tremendous  eruption  of  the  bottomless  pit !  The  shock 
had  well  nigh  thrown  down  the  hope  of  the  church. 
The  smoke  that  ascended  filled  all  the  air  with  black 
ness,  and  eclipsed  the  sun  ;  while  ashes,  cinders,  and 
lava  came  down,  threatening  to  bury  every  vestige  of 
good  that  yet  remained  in  society. 

In  a  letter  to  the  editors  of  "  The  New  York  Maga 
zine,"  the  venerable  Gideon  Blackburn  says,  "  About 
the  years  '98  and  '99,  the  darkness  was  thick,  like  that 
in  Egypt, — a  darkness  which  might  'be  felt.'  The 
few  pious  in  the  land  were  ready  to  cry  out,  '  Has  God 
forgotten  to  be  gracious  ?  Are  his  mercies  clean  gone  ? 
Will  he  be  favorable  no  more  ? '  " 

About  this  period,  pious  men  in  the  west  began  to 
call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  with  that  earnestness  and 
importunity  which  takes  no  denial.  In  Logan  county, 
Kentucky,  Rev.  James  McGready  and  some  Christian 
people  appointed  seasons  of  special  prayer.  They  also 
set  apart  days  of  fasting  and  humiliation  before  God. 

The  great  revival  of  1800,  like  that  granted  to  the 
disciples  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  was  preceded  by 
a  season  of  deep  humiliation  and  earnest  prayer  to 
God. 

THE  REVIVAL. 

The  first  conclusive  proofs  that  the  Lord  had  heard 
prayer,  and  visited  his  people,  were  received  in  Logan 
county,  Kentucky.  The  work  began  "  at  the  house 
of  God."  It  was  according  to  the  prayer  of  the 
Psalmist :  "  Restore  unto  me  the  joys  of  thy  salva 
tion,  and  uphold  me  with  thy  free  spirit ;  then  will  I 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  31 

teach  transgressors  thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall  be  con 
verted  unto  thee."  The  people  of  God  were  brought 
near  to  him.  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  and  the 
ordinances  of  the  Lord's  house  were  to  them  the  bread 
and  the  water  of  life.  And  while  they  admired  the 
freeness,  the  fulness,  and  the  firmness  of  God's  cove 
nant  mercy,  the  very  dust  and  ruins  of  Zion  were 
precious  in  their  eyes,  and  believing  prayer  in  her 
behalf  went  up  as  a  "  cloud  of  incense  "  before  God. 
Presently  an  awful  solemnity  took  hold  of  the  public 
mind.  Persons  hitherto  careless  nocked,  in  great 
numbers,  to  the  place  of  worship.  The  power  of 
preaching  was  greatly  increased.  God  was  "  fearful  in 
his  praises."  And  in  prayer,  Christians  were  enabled 
to  "  come  boldly  to  a  throne  of  grace." 

I  design  to  give,  presently,  Dr.  Baxter's  account  of 
these  seasons,  written  at  the  time ;  but  first  I  wish  to 
lay  before  the  reader  some  particulars  which  are 
imprinted  on  my  own  memory,  and  have  remained 
most  distinct  and  clear,  through  all  the  years  that  have 
intervened.  The  "  little  cloud  "  which  had  begun  to 
pour  out  its  blessing  on  the  churches  in  Logan  county, 
Kentucky,  soon  spread,  like  that  in  Elijah's  day,  until 
it  covered  the  face  of  heaven.  My  father's  residence 
was  then  in  East  Tennessee,  some  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  distant  from  the  point  where  the  revival 
first  appeared  ;  but  brief  was  the  time  that  elapsed  until 
it  was  in  the  midst  of  our  population. 

1.  A  deep  solemnity  pervaded  the  entire  community, 
filling  the  minds  of  old  and  young  with  awe  and 
reverence  in  view  of  God  and  his  holy  gospel.  I 
remember,  with  a  distinctness  that  is  marvellous  to 
myself,  the  unparalleled  impression  in  our  neighbor- 


32  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

hood.  We  had  assembled  in  the  house  of  worship. 
Each  man  and  woman  seemed  to  realize  the  sentiment 
of  the  patriarch,  "  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place." 
Rev.  Mr.  Dobbins,  then  of  North  Carolina,  afterwards 
well  known  in  Ohio,  preached  a  sermon.  The  atten 
tion  was  profound.  During  the  sermon,  two  young 
men  of  respectable  families,  well  known  in  the  congre 
gation,  began  to  tremble  in  their  seats ;  they  were 
perfectly  silent,  but  their  trembling  was  visible  to  all 
that  were  in  the  house  ;  the  people  felt  that  the  great 
Master  of  assemblies  was  among  them.  They  knew 
that  this  was  that  mighty  power  of  God,  of  which 
they  had  heard  among  the  churches  in  Kentucky. 
How  much  a  young  mind  may  have  erred  in  its  esti 
mate,  I  cannot  say.  But  it  then  seemed  to  me,  that 
the  appearance  of  the  forerunner  of  the  final  Judge, 
approaching  our  earth  with  the  trump  of  God,  could 
scarcely  have  added  to  the  awfulness  of  the  solemnity. 
Stout,  stubborn  sinners,  who  before  had  blasphemed 
God  and  scoffed  at  sacred  things,  were  struck  down  as 
literally  as  Saul  of  Tarsus,  on  his  way  to  Damascus. 
But  this  brings  me  to  another  branch  of  the  subject ; 
that  is,  — 

2.  The  FALLING  DOWN.  This  was  one  of  the  forms 
of  that  bodily  exercise,  as  it  was  then  called,  which 
accompanied  this  remarkable  work-  It  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  the  country  had  been  overrun  by  a  bold, 
blaspheming  infidelity,  which  scowled  at  sacred  things, 
and  attempted  to  browbeat  and  bear  down  all  that 
was  called  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Thomas 
Moffit,  Esq.,  now  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  assured  me, 
that  in  the  part  of  Kentucky  where  his  people  then 
lived,  "  it  was  believed  that,  at  the  commencement  of 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  33 

the  year  1800,  at  least  one  half  of  the  men  and  women 
were  the  avowed  disciples  of  Thomas  Paine."  I 
mentioned  this  statement  to  the  aged  and  venerable 
Abraham  McElroy,  of  Northern  Missouri.  His  reply 
was  this  :  "  Say  not  one  half ;  say  nine  tenths  ;  for  thus 
it  was  in  the  region  of  Lebanon,  Kentucky,  where 
I  then  resided;  and  I  myself  was  among  the  num 
ber." 

Such  is  a  sample  of  western  society  at  the  commence 
ment  of  that  revival.  The  awful  solemnity  which 
now  arrested  the  public  mind  was  accompanied  with 
bodily  affections  as  notable  and  singular  as  those  of 
Saul  on  his  way  to  Damascus.  Bold,  brazen-fronted 
blasphemers  were  literally  cut  down  by  the  "  sword 
of  the  Spirit."  "  The  word  of  God  was  quick  and 
powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword, 
piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  the  soul  and 
spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow."  Under  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  men  would  drop  to  the  ground, 
as  suddenly  as  if  they  had  been  smitten  by  the  light 
ning  of  heaven.  Among  these  were  many  persons  in 
the  prime  of  life  —  strong  men  j  business*  men ;  men 
whom  no  human  being  ever  thought  of  charging  with 
enthusiasm.  Here  was  the  avowed  infidel,  prostrate  on 
the  ground,  confessing  and  lamenting  his  folly  before 
God.  There  was  the  notorious  profligate,  crying  for 
mercy.  Here  was  the  celebrated  frontier  warrior, 
famous  for  his  dexterity  and  prowess  during  the  Indian 
troubles  ;  and  now,  "  behold,  he  prayeth !  "  And  there 
was  the  humbled  politician,  seeking  an  inheritance 
more  durable  than  earthly  fame.  The  language  em 
ployed  at  that  time,  by  the  plain  western  people,  in 
describing  the  results  of  these  meetings,  was,  that  so 


34  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

many  "fell."  At  one  meeting,  "fifty  fell;"  at 
another,  "seventy-five;"  again,  at  another,  "one 
hundred  and  twenty  fell."  Dr.  Baxter  speaks  of  a 
meeting,  at  which  many  thousands  attended,  where 
"  three  hundred  fell."  He  mentions  another  at  which 
"  five  hundred  fell."  At  the  great  meeting  at  "  Cane- 
ridge,"  which  continued  for  six  days,  and  at  which  it 
was  believed  there  were  twenty  thousand  people,  it 
was  said  that  not  less  than  "  one  thousand  fell." 
Those  who  fell  would  generally  lie  perfectly  quiet  for 
a  considerable  time  ;  in  some  instances,  an  hour  ;  in 
some,  much  longer  ;  in  others,  not  so  long.  There 
were  cases,  though  of  comparatively  rare  occurrence,  in 
which  persons  lay  for  the  space  of  twelve  or  twenty- 
four  hours. 

From  their  own  statements,  I  learned  that  those  who 
lay  in  that  quiet  state  were  entirely  sensible  of  all  that 
was  passing  around  them,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
their  views  on  divine  subjects  were  wonderfully  clear 
and  impressive.  Their  minds  were  directed  to  the 
holiness  and  grandeur  of  God  ;  the  purity  and  sacred- 
ness  of  his  law  ;  the  guilt  and  hatefulness  of  sin  ;  the 
great  love  of  God  in  giving  his  Son  to  redeem  lost 
man  ;  the  beauty  and  glory  of  Christ  as  Mediator  ;  the 
worth  of  the  soul ;  the  preciousness  of  the  gospel  ;  the 
value  of  time  ;  the  brevity  of  life  ;  the  solemnity  of 
death,  of  judgment,  and  of  eternity. 

Christ,  the  divine  Savior,  was  exalted  and  extolled 
in  the  preaching,  the  praying,  and  the  praising  of  the 
church,  in  that  day.  Perhaps  I  cannot  better  present 
this  feature  of  that  work,  than  by  inserting  a  popular 
hymn,  then  in  very  general  use,  which  was  a  favorite 
with  many  thousands.  O,  the  multitude  of  voices, 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  35 

now  silent  in  death,  which  once  sent  up  these  strains 
to  the  praise  of  the  blessed  God ! 

"  Thy  mercy,  my  God,  is  the  theme  of  my  song, 
The  joy  of  my  heart,  and  the  boast  of  my  tongue : 
Thy  free  grace  alone,  from  the  first  to  the  last, 
Hath  won  my  affection,  and  bound  my  soul  fast 

"  Without  thy  sweet  mercy,  I  could  not  live  here  ; 
Sin  soon  would  reduce  me  to  utter  despair  ; 
But  through  thy  free  goodness  my  spirits  revive, 
And  He  that  first  made  me  still  keeps  me  alive. 

"  Thy  mercy  is  more  than  a  match  for  my  heart, 
Which  wonders  to  feel  its  own  hardness  depart 
Dissolved  by  thy  goodness,  I  fall  to  the  ground, 
And  weep  to  the  praise  of  the  mercy  I've  found. 

"  The  door  of  thy  mercy  stands  open  all  day 
To  the  poor  and  the  needy,  who  knock  by  the  way ; 
No  sinner  shall  ever  be  empty  sent  back, 
Who  comes  seeking  mercy  for  Jesus's  sake. 

"  Thy  mercy  in  Jesus  exempts  me  from  hell ; 
Its  glories  I'll  sing,  and  its  wonders  I'll  tell  : 
'Twas  Jesus,  my  Friend,  when  he  hung  on  the  tree, 
Who  opened  the  channel  of  mercy  for  me. 

"  Great  Father  of  mercies,  thy  goodness  I  own, 
And  the  covenant  love  of  thy  crucified  Son : 
All  praise  to  the  Spirit,  whose  witness  divine 
Seals  mercy,  and  pardon,  and  righteousness  mine." 

3.  A  spirit  of  prayer  was  granted  to  these  converts 
that  was  truly  marvellous.  Men  who  had  never  before 
prayed  in  public,  and  from  the  careless  tenor  of  whose 
lives  it  might  be  fairly  inferred  that  they  had  rarely,  if 
ever,  prayed  in  secret,  would  now  pour  forth  their  sup 
plications  with  a  liberty  and  a  propriety  of  expression 
that  utterly  astonished  their  former  acquaintances. 


36  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

They  would  quote  Scripture,  in  their  addresses  to  the 
Deity,  with  a  pertinence  and  an  accuracy  that  could  only 
be  accounted  for  on  the  principle  that  "  their  hearts 
were  lifted  up  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,"  and  that  all 
the  powers  of  their  mind  were  quickened  by  the  divine 
Spirit.  The  compass  of  their  petitions,  and  the  force 
of  their  language,  were  wonderful.  This  extraordinary 
gift  in  prayer  evidently  accompanied  that  bodily  exer 
cise.  Even  children  but  five  or  six  years  old  had 
this  power  in  prayer,  and  those  clear,  affecting  views 
of  divine  truth,  when  they  were  the  subjects  of  that 
singular  dispensation.  A  worthy  Presbyterian  elder, 
now  a  citizen,  of  Springfield,  mentioned  to  me  the 
case  of  a  little  girl,  at  the  meeting  at  Caneridge  : 
her  exact  age  he  did  not  know,  but  she  was  so  small 
that  her  father  carried  her  about  in  his  arms.  She 
spoke  of  Christ  in  a  manner  that  melted  down  all  who 
heard  her.  She  talked  of  his  everlasting  love,  that 
brought  him  to  earth  to  save  lost  men ;  the  deep 
sorrows  he  bore  for  our  sakes.  She  spoke  of  the 
scenes  in  Gethsemane  and  on  Calvary,  the  grave  in 
which  Christ  was  laid,  his  resurrection,  his  ascension, 
his  intercession,  and  the  solemnities  of  his  second 
coming.  Careless  and  hard-hearted  sinners  gathered 
around,  some  of  them  old  in  sin,  some  who  had  been 
avowed  unbelievers ;  but  all  within  the  hearing  of  her 
voice  were  overcome  and  brought  to  tears  by  the 
affecting  truths  which  she  uttered. 

I  wish  to  record  another  fact.  Of  the  professors  of 
religion  who  were  in  the  country  when  this  revival 
began,  perhaps  one  half  became  the  subjects  of  this 
bodily  exercise  ;  that  is,  they  either  fell,  or  were  affected 
in  some  other  way.  These  were  invariably  baptized 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  37 

with  that  spirit  of  prayer.  In  many  cases,  the  bodily 
exercise  did  not  continue  long.  But  that  marvellous 
power  of  prayer  was  lasting  as  life.  I  could  mention 
names  in  abundance  to  substantiate  this  fact.  I  com 
menced  preaching  on  the  15th  of  December,  1815.  I 
lived  and  labored  in  the  ministry  until  1830,  on  the 
ground  where  this  work  had  prevailed  with  power  and 
great  glory.  The  meridian  splendor  of  this  revival 
was  from  the  year  1800  to  1805,  though  it  continued, 
in  many  places,  for  several  years  longer.  Now,  I  can 
name  men,  with  whom  I  was  well  acquainted  during 
the  first  fifteen  years  of  my  ministry,  —  which  reaches  a 
period  thirty  years  distant  from  the  commencement  of 
this  wonderful  work  of  God,  —  men  of  humble  preten 
sions,  ordinary  capacity  and  acquirements,  who  had 
been  church  members  before,  but  were  now  blessed  in 
this  revival,  who,  when  they  engaged  in  prayer,  would 
at  once  rise  above  and  beyond  themselves ;  yes,  above 
and  beyond  all  that  I  ever  heard,  whether  elder,  dea 
con,  or  minister,  who  had  not  been  baptized  with  the 
spirit  and  power  of  that  memorable  divine  visitation. 
And  I  state  this,  while  I  tell  the  reader  that  I  was 
not  myself  a  subject  of  that  great  work.  My  father, 
my  mother,  and  my  eldest  sister  were  ;  but  I  never  had 
any  hope  of  conversion  during  that  season  of  mercy. 
Yet  its  leading  facts  are  indelibly  imprinted  on  the 
tablet  of  my  memory ;  and  when  I  speak  of  it,  "  I 
speak  what  I  know,  and  testify  what  I  have  seen."* 
One  fact  more.  This  extraordinary  power  in  prayer 
continued  with  those  persons  through  their  life.  Many 
of  them  are  now  gone.  Some,  however,  continue  to 
this  day.  And  the  man  who  has  been  acquainted  with 
that  strain  or  manner  of  prayer,  will  know  it  in  a 
4 


38  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

moment,  whenever  or  wherever  he  may  have  the  op 
portunity  to  hear  it  again. 

The  God  of  the  Bible  is  the  God  of  providence. 
And  there  is  often  an  affecting  analogy  between  facts 
which  we  now  observe,  and  notable  facts  in  the  early 
history  of  the  church,  as  recorded  in  the  sacred  book. 
When  Moses  came  down  from  Mount  Sinai,  after  that 
wonderful  interview  with  God,  his  face  shined  in  a 
manner  that  was  marvellous,  and  it  continued  thus  to 
shine  till  the  day  of  his  death.  I  have  thought  of  this, 
when  meditating  on  the  unquestionable  fact,  that  those 
who  were  brought  so  near  to  God  in  this  great  revival 
of  1800,  and  had  granted  to  them  such  clear  vision  of 
Jehovah's  holy  character,  and  of  that  Mediator  whose 
name  is  "  Wonderful,"  and  whose  death  purchased 
redemption  for  men,  had  a  striking  peculiarity  in- 
stamped  on  their  prayers,  which  continued  through  all 
the  remaining  part  of  their  earthly  pilgrimage. 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  Baxter,  written  at 
that  day,  is  exceedingly  valuable.  I  give  it  to  the 
reader,  as  it  contains  a  picture  of  the  times  drawn  by 
the  hand  of  a  master.  Through  the  entire  prime  of 
his  life,  the  writer  ranked  among  the  very  first  minis 
ters  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  For  many  years,  he 
was  president  of  Washington  College,  at  Lexington  ; 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  professor  of 
theology  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  Virginia. 

Letter  from  ike  Rev.  George  Baxter  to  the  Rev.  A.  Alexander,  dated 
Washington  Academy,  Virginia,  January  1,  1802. 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir,  — 

"  I  now  sit  down,  agreeably  to  promise,  to  give 
you  some  account   of  the  revival   of  religion  in  the 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  39 

state  of  Kentucky.  You  have,  no  doubt,  heard  already 
of  the  Green  River  and  Cumberland  revivals.  I  will 
just  observe,  that  the  last  summer  is  the  fourth  since 
the  revival  commenced  in  those  places ;  and  that  it 
has  been  more  remarkable  than  any  of  the  preceding, 
not  only  for  lively  and  fervent  devotion  among  Chris 
tians,  but  also  for  awakenings  and  conversions  among 
the  careless  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  very  few 
instances  of  apostasy  have  hitherto  appeared.  As  I 
was  not  myself  in  the  Cumberland  country,  all  I  can 
say  about  it  is  from  the  testimony  of  others  ;  but  I  was 
uniformly  told  by  those  who  had  been  there,  that  their 
religious  assemblies  were  more  solemn,  and  the  appear 
ance  of  the  work  much  greater,  than  what  had  been 
in  Kentucky  :  any  enthusiastic  symptoms  which  might 
at  first  have  attended  the  revival  had  greatly  subsided, 
whilst  the  serious  concern  and  engagedness  of  the 
people  were  visibly  increased. 

"  In  the  older  settlement  of  Kentucky,  the  revival 
made  its  first  appearance  among  the  Presbyterians,  last 
spring.  The  whole  of  that  country,  about  a  year  be 
fore,  was  remarkable  for  vice  and  dissipation;  and  I 
have  been  credibly  informed  that  a  decided  majority  of 
the  people  were  professed  infidels. 

"  During  the  last  winter,  appearances  were  favorable 
among  Baptists,  and  great  numbers  were  added  to 
their  churches.  Early  in  the  spring,  the  ministrations 
of  the  Presbyterian  clergy  began  to  be  better  attended 
than  they  had  been  for  many  years  before  ;  their  wor 
shipping  assemblies  became  more  solemn ;  and  the 
people,  after  they  were  dismissed,  showed  a  strange 
reluctance  at  leaving  the  place:  they  generally  con 
tinued  some  time  in  the  meeting-houses,  in  singing  or 
in  religious  conversation. 


40  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  Perhaps  about  the  last  of  May  or  the  first  of  June, 
the  awakening  became  general,  in  some  congregations, 
and  spread  through  the  country  in  every  direction,  with 
amazing  rapidity.  I  left  that  country  about  the  first 
of  November,  at  which  time  this  revival,  in  connection 
with  the  one  in  Cumberland,  had  covered  the  whole 
state,  excepting  a  small  settlement  which  borders  on 
the  waters  of  Green  River,  in  which  no  Presbyterian 
ministers  are  settled,  and  I  believe  very  few  of  any 
denomination.  The  power  with  which  this  revival  has 
spread,  and  its  influence  in  moralizing  the  people,  are 
difficult  for  you  to  conceive,  and  more  difficult  for  me  to 
describe.  I  had  heard  many  accounts,  and  seen  many 
letters,  respecting  it,  before  I  went  to  that  country ;  but 
my  expectations,  though  greatly  raised,  were  much 
below  the  reality  of  the  work. 

"  The  congregations,  when  engaged  in  worship, 
presented  scenes  of  solemnity  superior  to  what  I  had 
ever  seen  before  ;  and  in  private  houses  it  was  no  un 
common  thing  to  hear  parents  relate  to  strangers  the 
wonderful  things  which  God  had  done  in  their  neigh 
borhoods,  whilst  a  large  circle  of  young  people  would 
be  in  tears.  On  my  way  to  Kentucky,  I  was  told  by 
settlers  on  the  road,  that  the  character  of  Kentucky 
travellers  was  entirely  changed,  and  that  they  were 
now  as  distinguished  for  sobriety  as  they  had  formerly 
been  for  dissoluteness ;  and,  indeed,  I  found  Kentucky 
the  most  moral  place  I  had  ever  been  in  :  a  profane 
expression  was  hardly  heard,  a  religious  one  seemed  to 
pervade  the  country,  and  some  deistical  characters  had 
confessed  that,  from  whatever  cause  the  revival  might 
originate,  it  certainly  made  the  people  better. 

"  Its  influence  was  not  less  visible  in  promoting  a 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  41 

friendly  temper :  nothing  could  appear  more  amiable 
than  that  undissembled  benevolence  Avhich  governs  the 
subjects  of  this  work.  I  have  often  wished  that  the 
mere  politician  or  Deist  could  observe  with  impartiality 
their  peaceful  and  amicable  spirit.  He  would  certainly 
see  that  nothing  could  equal  the  religion  of  Jesus  for 
promoting  even  the  temporal  happiness  of  society. 
Some  neighborhoods,  visited  by  the  revival,  had  been 
formerly  notorious  for  private  animosities ;  and  many 
petty  lawsuits  had  commenced  on  that  ground.  When 
the  parties  in  these  quarrels  were  impressed  with 
religion,  the  first  thing  was  to  send  for  their  antagonists  ; 
and  it  was  often  very  affecting  to  see  their  meeting  : 
both  had  seen  their  faults,  and  both  contended  that 
they  ought  to  make  concessions ;  till  at  last  they  were 
obliged  to  request  each  other  to  forbear  all  mention  of 
the  past,  and  to  act  as  friends  and  brothers  for  the 
future. 

"  Now,  sir,  let  modern  philosophists  talk  of  reforming 
the  world  by  banishing  Christianity,  and  introducing 
their  licentious  systems  ;  the  blessed  gospel  of  our  God 
and  Savior  is  showing  what  it  can  do.  Some  circum 
stances  have  concurred  to  distinguish  the  Kentucky 
revival  from  most  others  of  which  we  have  had  any 
account ;  I  mean  the  largeness  of  the  assemblies  on 
sacramental  occasions,  the  length  of  time  they  con 
tinued  on  the  ground  in  devotional  exercises,  and  the 
great  numbers  who  have  fallen  down  under  religious 
impressions.  On  each  of  these  particulars  I  shall  make 
some  remarks. 

"  With  respect  to  the  largeness  of  the  assemblies : 
It  is  generally  supposed  that  at  many  places  there  were 
not  fewer  than  eight,  ten,  or  twelve  thousand  people. 
4* 


42  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

At  a  place  called  Caneridge  meeting-house,  many  were 
of  opinion  there  were,  at  least,  twenty  thousand  :  there 
were  one  hundred  and  forty  wagons  which  came  loaded 
with  people,  besides  other  wheel  carriages  :  some  per 
sons  had  come  two  hundred  miles ;  the  largeness  of 
these  assemblies  was  an  inconvenience  ;  they  were  too 
numerous  to  be  addressed  by  one  speaker ;  it  therefore 
became  necessary  for  several  ministers  to  officiate  at 
different  stands  :  this  afforded  an  opportunity  to  those 
who  were  but  slightly  impressed  with  religion  to 
wander  to  and  fro  between  the  different  places  of 
worship,  which  created  an  appearance  of  confusion, 
and  gave  ground  to  such  as  were  unfriendly  to  the 
work  to  charge  it  with  disorder.  Another  cause,  also, 
conduced  to  the  same  effect.  About  this  time,  the 
people  began  to  fall  down  in  great  numbers  under 
serious  impressions ;  this  was  a  new  thing  among 
Presbyterians:  it  excited  universal  astonishment,  and 
created  a  curiosity  which  could  not  be  restrained. 
When  people  fell,  even  during  the  most  solemn  part  of 
divine  service,  those  who  stood  near  were  so  extremely 
anxious  to  see  how  they  were  affected,  that  they  often 
crowded  about  them  so  as  to  disturb  the  worship. 
But  these  causes  of  disorder  were  soon  removed  ;  differ 
ent  sacraments  were  appointed  on  the  same  Sabbath, 
which  divided  the  people  ;  and  the  falling  down  be 
came  so  familiar  as  to  excite  no  disturbance.  In. 
October,  I  attended  three  sacraments :  at  each  there 
were  supposed  to  be  between  four  and  five  thousand 
people,  and  every  thing  was  conducted  with  strict  pro 
priety.  When  persons  fell,  those  who  were  near  them 
took  care  of  them,  and  every  one  continued  quiet  until 
the  worship  was  concluded. 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  43 

"  The  length  of  time  that  people  continue  at  the 
places  of  worship,  is  another  important  circumstance 
of  the  Kentucky  revival.  At  Caneridge,  they  met  on 
Friday,  and  continued  till  Wednesday  evening,  night 
and  day,  without  intermission,  either  in  the  public  or 
private  exercises  of  devotion";  and  with  such  earnest 
ness  that  heavy  showers  of  rain  were  not  sufficient 
to  disperse  them.  On  other  sacramental  occasions,  they 
generally  continued  on  the  ground  until  Monday  or 
Tuesday  evening  ;  and  had  not  the  preachers  been 
exhausted  and  obliged  to  retire,  or  had  they  chosen  to 
prolong  the  worship,  they  might  have  kept  the  people 
any  length  of  time  they  pleased ;  and  all  this  was,  or 
might  have  been  done,  in  a  country  where,  less  than 
twelve  months  before,  the  clergy  found  it  difficult  to 
detain  the  people  during  the  usual  exercises  of  the  Sab 
bath.  The  practice  of  encamping  on  the  ground  was 
introduced,  partly  by  necessity,  and  partly  by  inclination. 
The  assemblies  were  generally  too  large  to  be  received 
by  any  common  neighborhood.  Every  thing,  indeed, 
was  done,  which  hospitality  and  brotherly  kindness 
could  do,  to  accommodate  the  people.  Public  and  pri 
vate  houses  were  opened,  and  free  invitations  given  to  all 
persons  who  wished  to  retire.  Farmers  gave  up  their 
meadows,  before  they  were  mown,  to  supply  the  horses. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this  liberality,  it  would  have 
been  impossible,  in  many  cases,  to  accommodate  the 
whole  assemblies  with  private  lodgings.  But  besides, 
the  people  were  unwilling  to  suffer  any  interruptions  in 
their  devotions,  and  they  formed  an  attachment  to  the 
place  where  they  were  continually  seeing  so  many 
careless  sinners  receiving  their  first  impressions,  and  so 
many  Deists  constrained  to  call  on  the  formerly  despised 


44  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

name  of  Jesus  ;  they  conceived  a  sentiment  like  what 
Jacob  felt  at  Bethel  — l  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this 
place ;  this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and 
this  is  the  gate  of  heaven.'  The  number  of  persons 
who  have  fallen  down  under  serious  impressions,  in  this 
revival,  is  another  matter  worthy  of  attention  j  and  on 
this  I  shall  be  more  particular,  as  it  seems  to  be  the 
principal  cause  why  this  work  should  be  more  sus 
pected  of  enthusiasm  than  some  other  revivals.  At 
Caneridge  sacrament,  it  is  generally  supposed  not  less 
than  one  thousand  persons  fell  prostrate  to  the  ground, 
among  whom  were  many  infidels.  At  one  sacrament 
which  I  attended,  the  number  that  fell  was  thought  to 
be  more  than  three  hundred.  Persons  who  fall  are 
generally  such  as  have  manifested  symptoms  of  the 
deepest  impressions  for  some  time  previous  to  that 
event.  Immediately  before  they  become  totally  pow 
erless,  they  are  seized  with  a  general  tremor,  and  some 
times,  though  not  often,  they  utter  one  or  two  piercing 
shrieks  in  the  moment  of  falling.  Persons  in  this  situ 
ation  are  affected  in  different  degrees :  sometimes,  when 
unable  to  stand  or  sit,  they  have  the  use  of  their  hands, 
and  can  converse  with  perfect  composure.  In  other 
cases,  they  are  unable  to  speak ;  the  pulse  becomes 
weak,  and  they  draw  a  difficult  breath  about  once  in  a 
minute.  In  some  instances,  their  extremities  become 
cold,  and  pulsation,  breathing,  and  all  the  signs  of 
life,  forsake  them  for  nearly  an  hour.  Persons  who 
have  been  in  this  situation  have  uniformly  avowed  that 
they  felt  no  bodily  pain  ;  that  they  had  the  entire  use 
of  their  reason  and  reflection ;  and  when  recovered,  they 
would  relate  every  thing  that  had  been  said  or  done 
near  them,  or  which  could  possibly  fall  within  their 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  45 

observation.  From  this  it  appears  that  their  falling  is 
neither  a  common  fainting,  nor  a  nervous  affection. 
Indeed,  this  strange  phenomenon  appears  to  have  taken 
every  possible  turn  to  baffle  the  conjecture  of  those 
who  are  not  willing  to  consider  it  a  supernatural  power. 
Persons  have  sometimes  fallen  on  their  way  from  public 
worship,  and  sometimes  after  they  had  arrived  at  home  ; 
in  some  cases,  when  they  were  pursuing  their  com 
mon  business  on  their  farms,  or  when  retired  for  secret 
devotion. 

"  It  was  observed,  generally,  that  persons  were 
seriously  affected  for  some  time  previous  to  their 
falling.  In  many  cases,  however,  it  is  otherwise ;  num 
bers  of  thoughtless  sinners  have  fallen  as  suddenly  as 
if  struck  with  lightning.  Many  professed  infidels  and 
other  vicious  characters  have  been  arrested  in  this  way, 
and  sometimes  at  the  very  moment  when  they  were 
uttering  blasphemies  against  the  work.  At  the  begin 
ning  of  the  revival  in  Shelby  county,  the  appearances, 
as  related  to  me  by  eye-witnesses,  were  very  surprising 
indeed.  The  revival  had  before  this  spread,  with  irre 
sistible  power,  through  the  adjacent  countries  j  and 
many  of  the  pious  had  attended  distant  sacraments 
with  great  benefit.  These  were  much  engaged,  and  felt 
unusual  freedom  in  their  addresses  at  the  throne  of  grace, 
for  the  outpouring  of  the  divine  Spirit,  at  the  approach 
ing  sacrament  in  Shelby. 

u  The  sacrament  came  on  in  September.  The  peo 
ple,  as  usual,  met  on  Friday  •  but  all  were  languid,  and 
the  exercises  went  on  heavily.  On  Saturday  and  Sun 
day  morning,  it  was  no  better.  At  length,  the  commun 
ion  commenced  ;  every  thing  was  still  lifeless.  While 
the  minister  of  the  place  was  speaking  at  one  of  the 


46  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

tables,  without  any  unusual  animation,  suddenly  there 
were  several  shrieks  from  different  parts  of  the  assem 
bly  j  instantly  persons  fell  in  every  direction,  the  feel 
ings  of  the  pious  were  suddenly  revived,  and  the  work 
progressed  with  extraordinary  power  till  the  conclusion 
of  the  solemnity. 

"  This  phenomenon  of  falling  is  common  to  all 
ages,  sexes,  and  characters ;  and  when  they  fall,  they 
are  differently  exercised.  Some  pious  people  have  fallen 
under  a  sense  of  ingratitude  and  hardness  of  heart, 
and  others  under  affecting  manifestations  of  the  love 
and  goodness  of  God  ;  many  thoughtless  persons  under 
legal  convictions,  who  have  obtained  comfort  before 
they  arose.  But  perhaps  the  most  numerous  class 
consists  of  those  who  fall  under  distressing  views  of 
their  guilt,  who  arise  under  the  same  fearful  apprehen 
sions,  and  continue  in  that  state  for  some  days,  perhaps 
weeks,  before  they  receive  comfort.  I  have  conversed 
with  many  who  fell  under  the  influence  of  comfortable 
feelings ;  and  the  account  they  gave  of  their  exercises 
while  they  lay  entranced  was  very  surprising.  I 
know  not  how  to  give  you  a  better  idea  of  them,  than 
by  saying  that  in  many  cases  they  appear  to  surpass 
the  dying  exercises  of  Dr.  Finley ;  their  minds  ap 
peared  wholly  swallowed  up  in  contemplating  the 
perfections  of  the  Deity,  as  illustrated  in  the  plan  of 
salvation ;  and  whilst  they  lay  apparently  senseless  and 
almost  lifeless,  their  minds  were  more  vigorous,  and 
their  memories  more  retentive  and  accurate,  than  they 
had  ever  been  before.  I  have  heard  men  of  respecta 
bility  assert  that  their  manifestations  of  gospel  truth 
were  so  clear  as  to  require  some  caution,  when  they 
began  to  speak,  lest  they  should  use  language  which 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  47 

might  induce  their  hearers  to  think  they  had  seen 
those  things  with  bodily  eyes ;  but  at  the  same  time, 
they  had  seen  no  image  nor  sensible  representation,  nor 
indeed  any  thing  beside  the  old  truths  contained  in  the 
Bible.  Among  those  whose  minds  were  filled  with  the 
most  delightful  communications  of  divine  love,  I  but 
seldom  observed  any  thing  ecstatic.  Their  expressions 
were  just  and  rational ;  they  conversed  with  calmness 
and  composure ;  and  on  their  first  recovering  their 
speech,  they  appeared  like  persons  recovering  from 
a  violent  disease,  which  had  left  them  on  the  borders 
of  the  grave.  I  have  sometimes  been  present  when 
those  who  fell  under  the  influence  of  convictions 
obtained  relief  before  they  arose.  In  these  cases,  it  was 
impossible  not  to  observe  how  strongly  the  change  in 
their  minds  was  depicted  in  their  countenances. 
Instead  of  a  face  of  horror  and  despair,  they  assume 
one  open,  luminous,  and  serene,  and  expressive  of  all 
the  comfortable  feelings  of  religion.  As  to  those  who 
fall  down  under  legal  convictions,  and  continue  in  that 
state,  they  were  not  different  from  those  who  receive 
convictions  in  other  revivals,  excepting  that  their  dis 
tress  is  more  severe.  Indeed,  extraordinary  power  is  the 
leading  characteristic  of  this  revival;  both  saints  and 
sinners  have  more  striking  discoveries  of  the  realities  of 
another  world,  than  I  have  ever  known  on  any  occasion. 
"  I  trust  I  have  said  enough  on  this  subject  to  enable 
you  to  judge  how  the  charge  of  enthusiasm  is  applica 
ble  to  it.  Lord  Lyttleton,  in  his  letter  on  the  conversion 
of  St.  Paul,  observes,  (I  think  justly,)  that  enthusiasm 
is  a  vain,  self-righteous  spirit,  swelled  with  self- 
sufficiency,  and  disposed  to  glory  in  its  religious  attain 
ments.  If  this  be  a  good  definition,  there  has  been, 


48  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

perhaps,  as  little  enthusiasm  in  the  Kentucky  revival 
as  in  any  other.  Never  have  I  seen  more  genuine  marks 
of  that  humility  which  disclaims  the  merit  of  its  own 
duties,  and  looks  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only 
way  of  acceptance  with  God.  I  was,  indeed,  highly 
pleased  to  find  that  Christ  was  all  and  all,  in  their 
religion  as  well  as  in  the  religion  of  the  gospel.  Chris 
tians,  in  their  highest  attainments,  seemed  more  sensible 
of  their  entire  dependence  on  divine  grace ;  and  it  was 
truly  affecting  to  hear  with  what  agonizing  anxiety 
awakened  sinners  inquired  for  Christ  as  the  only 
physician  who  could  give  them  any  help.  Those 
who  call  these  things  enthusiasm  ought  to  tell  us  what 
they  understand  by  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  In  fact, 
sir,  this  revival  operates  as  our  Savior  promised  the 
Holy  Spirit  should,  when  sent  into  the  world :  it  con 
vinces  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment  —  a 
strong  confirmation,  to  my  mind,  both  that  the  promise 
is  divine,  and  that  this  is  a  remarkable  fulfilment  of  it. 
It  would  be  of  little  avail  to  object  to  all  this,  that 
probably  the  professions  of  many  were  counterfeited. 
Such  an  objection  would  rather  establish  what  it  meant 
to  destroy ;  for  where  there  is  no  reality,  there  can  be 
no  counterfeit  ;  and  besides,  where  the  general  tenor 
of  a  work  is  such,  as  to  dispose  the  more  insincere  pro 
fessors  to  counterfeit  what  is  right,  the  work  itself 
must  be  genuine.  But  as  an  eye-witness  in  the  case,  I 
may  be  permitted  to  declare  that  the  professions  of 
those  under  religious  convictions  were  generally  marked 
with  such  a  degree  of  engagedriess  and  feeling  as 
wilful  hypocrisy  could  hardly  assume.  The  language 
of  the  heart,  when  deeply  impressed,  is  very  distin 
guishable  from  the  language  of  affectation.  Upon  the 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  49 

whole,  sir,  I  think  the  revival  in  Kentucky  among  the 
most  extraordinary  that  have  ever  visited  the  church 
of  Christ,  and,  all  things  considered,  peculiarly  adapt 
ed  to  the  circumstances  of  that  country.  Infidelity 
was  triumphant,  and  religion  on  the  point  of  expiring : 
something  of  an  extraordinary  nature  seemed  necessary 
to  arrest  the  attention  of  giddy  people,  who  were 
ready  to  conclude  that  Christianity  was  a  fable,  and 
futurity  a  dream.  This  revival  has  done  it ;  it  has 
confounded  infidelity,  awed  vice  into  silence,  and 
brought  numbers  beyond  calculation  under  serious 
impression.  While  the  blessed  Savior  was  calling  his 
people,  and  building  up  his  church  in  this  remarkable 
way,  opposition  could  not  be  silent.  At  this  I  hinted 
above ;  but  it  is  proper  to  observe,  that  the  clamorous 
opposition  which  assailed  the  work  at  its  commence 
ment,  has  been  in  a  great  measure  borne  down  before 
it ;  a  large  proportion  of  those  who  have  fallen  were 
first  opposers,  and  their  example  has  taught  others  to 
be  cautious,  if  it  has  not  taught  them  to  be  wise. 

"  I  have  written  on  this  subject  to  a  greater  length 
than  I  first  intended ;  but  if  this  account  should  give 
you  any  satisfaction,  and  be  of  any  benefit  to  the  com 
mon  cause,  I  shall  be  fully  gratified. 

"  Yours,  with  the  highest  esteem, 

"G.  BAXTER. 
"  The  Rev.  A.  Alexander." 

I  now  close  this  article  with  a  very  few  remarks. 

1.  Were  there  not  many  disorders  and  irregularities 
connected  with  this  great  work  of  God  ?  The  reader 
has  seen  Dr.  Baxter's  opinion  ;  and  he  was  regarded 
through  life  as  a  man  of  clear  and  sound  judgment, 


50  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

whose  decisions  were  entitled  to  much  regard.  But  I 
ask  the  question  again,  because  there  has  been  much 
mistake  on  this  point.  There  has  been  much  written 
and  published  in  the  east  concerning  the  irregularities 
and  disorders  of  that  day,  for  which  there  was  just 
about  as  much  foundation  as  there  has  been  for  the 
lugubrious  eifusions  of  certain  English  tourists  in 
America,  in  view  of  the  semi-barbarian  condition  of 
the  American  people.  As  most  persons  are  prone  to 
regard  themselves  as  very  highly  civilized,  so  we  arc 
all  ready  to  look  upon  ourselves  as  peculiarly  "  dis 
creet"  and  "  judicious."  There  is  often  in  the  church 
much  difficulty  in  finding  persons  who  are  willing  to 
labor  for  the  conversion  of  sinners ;  who  are  ready  to 
"  go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  compel 
them  to  come  in,  that  God's  house  may  be  filled." 
But  who  ever  saw  any  lack  of  persons  who  were  eager 
to  do  "the  judicious,"  "  the  prudent,"  "  the  circum 
spect,"  "  the  fault-finding,"  which  the  good  of  the 
church  demanded  ?  There  is  no  supererogation  to 
which  we  are  more  prone,  than  that  of  indulging  pain 
ful  apprehensions  lest  all  the  "  prudence,"  "  sound 
judgment,"  and  "  descretion,"  should  have  been  allotted 
to  ourselves.  Thoughtful,  anxious  man !  vex  not  in 
vain  thy  righteous  soul.  There  is  not  the  least  danger 
that  fretting,  fault-finding,  or  any  of  the  virtues  belong 
ing  to  that  amiable  constellation,  will  die  with  thee ! 
How  slow  are  men  to  learn  the  lesson  taught  by  the 
death  of  Uzzah !  He  supposed  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  take  hold  of  the  ark,  in  order  to  keep  it  steady. 
He  had  no  right  to  touch  it.  "And  God  smote  him 
there  for  his  error  ;  and  there  he  died  by  the  ark  of 
God."  (2  Sam.  vi.  6,  7.) 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  51 

Two  of  the  ministers  who  labored  in  that  revival, 
with  whom  I  was  afterwards  well  acquainted,  were 
graduates  of  Princeton  College,  during  the  presidency 
of  Dr.  Witherspoon.  Rev.  Samuel  Doak,  D.  D.  and 
Rev.  Edward  Crawford  were  "  burning  and  shining 
lights,"  at  that  period,  among  the  churches  of  the 
west.  Dr.  Doak  was,  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
occasionally  the  subject  of  the  "  bodily  exercise." 
Indeed,  from  its  appearance  in  1800,  until  his  death  in 
1830,  he  was  often  affected  by  it.  He  was  a  powerful 
man  in  both  mind  and  body  ;  an  excellent  scholar, 
such  as  Princeton  graduates  at  that  day  generally  were  ; 
and  a  thorough  Calvinist,  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian 
school.  He  was  among  the  very  early  settlers  in  the 
west ;  emigrated  there  from  Virginia  near  the  close 
of  the  revolutionary  war  ;  and,  through  a  long  life,  glo 
rified  God,  and  preached  the  gospel  of  peace  and  good 
will  to  men.  He  was  the  president  of  the  college  at 
which  Gideon  Blackburn,  Dr.  Nelson,  and  many  of  our 
western  ministers  were  educated.  With  Rev.  Edward 
Crawford  I  spent  a  number  of  months,  while  I  was  a 
student  of  theology.  My  impression  is,  that  he  was 
never  in  person  affected  by  the  bodily  exercise  ;  but  he 
labored  abundantly  in  the  churches  where  it  prevailed. 
I  have  heard  him  speak  of  it  often.  He  believed  that 
similar  bodily  affections  had  frequently  taken  place  in 
the  experience  of  Bible  saints.  He  would  quote  the 
text  where  Abraham  fell  on  his  face  before  God  "and 
laughed."  (Gen.  xvii.  17.)  He  would  point  to  the 
soldiers  of  King  Saul,  and  the  case  of  Saul  himself, 
( 1  Sam.  xix.  18— 24,)  and  to  David  dancing  and  shouting 
before  the  ark  of  the  Lord.  (2  Sam.  vi.  14,  15.)  He 
would  refer  also  to  the  scenes  described  Neh.  viii.  9 — 11, 


52  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BO  OK. 

where  it  required  all  the  authority  of  Nehemiah,  Ezra, 
and  the  Levites,  to  "  still  the  people."  So  overwhelm 
ing  were  their  emotions  when  they  "understood  the 
words  of  the  law."  He  would  repeat  the  language  of 
Christ,  (Luke  vi.  23,)  "  Rejoice  ye  in  that  day,  and 
leap  for  joy;  for  behold,  your  reward  is  great  in 
heaven."  How  would  a  venerable  apostle  appear  in 
our  eyes  at  the  present  day,  should  we  see  him, 
wrapped  in  his  plain  mantle,  his  long  white  beard  reach 
ing  down  to  the  waist,  leaping  for  joy,  in  view  of  his 
reward  in  heaven  ?  Mr.  Crawford  would  illustrate  and 
confirm  his  opinion  of  the  bodily  agitations  which 
attended  that  revival,  by  reference  to  the  scenes  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  the  conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus, 
and  the  bodily  prostration  of  both  Daniel  and  St.  John, 
when  blessed  with  visions  of  God.  It  would  have 
been  thought  " passing  strange"  by  the  good  people 
among  whom  these  venerable  fathers  lived  and  labored, 
had  any  one  charged  them  with  "  lack  of  judgment," 
"  want  of  discretion,"  or  asserted  that  their  views  of  the 
revival  were  not  entitled  to  high  respect.  Gideon 
Blackburn  was  in  the  prime  of  life  during  this  precious 
season  of  divine  mercy.  He  was  then,  and  long  after 
wards,  extensively  known  to  the  American  churches  as 
an  effective  and  indefatigable  minister  of  the  New 
Testament.  Dr.  Anderson,  of  Tennessee,  who  labored 
much  with  Blackburn,  has  often  expressed  the  opinion, 
that,  in  all  likelihood,  the  disclosures  of  the  judgment 
day  will  show  that  the  seal  of  God,  in  the  form  of 
"  souls  renewed,"  was  set  to  the  ministry  of  Black 
burn,  to  an  extent  rarely  equalled,  since  the  days  of 
inspiration,  among  ambassadors  of  the  cross. 

Blackburn's  opinion  of  the  great  revival  will  be  seen 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  53 

by  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  Phila 
delphia,  dated 

"  MARYVILLE,  TENX.,  January  20,  1804. 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir,  — 

"  The  wonderful  appearances  attendant  on  the 
revival  in  the  state  of  Tennessee,  has  arrested  the  atten 
tion  of  both  the  friends  and  enemies  of  religion.  The 
bodily  exercise  has  assumed  such  a  variety  of  shapes 
as  to  render  it  a  truly  Herculean  task  to  give  an  intelli 
gible  statement  of  it  to  any  person  who  has  never  seen 
it.  However,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  it  is  evi 
dently  the  Lord's  work,  though  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 

"  Since  my  return  to  the  state  of  Tennessee,  I  have 
attended  eight  sacraments ;  and  these  in  different  parts 
of  the  country.  From  one  thousand  to  thirty-five  hun 
dred  have  been  assembled  together  —  of  course,  col 
lected  from  considerable  distances.  I  have  conversed 
particularly  with  upwards  of  eight  hundred  persons  on 
their  exercises,  views,  feelings,  &c.,  and  I  am  con 
strained  to  say,  that  I  have  discovered  far  less  extrava 
gance,  disorder,  and  irregularity,  than  could  have  pos 
sibly  been  expected  in  so  extraordinary  an  awakening, 
especially  when  part  of  it  took  place  among  persons 
settled  in  the  back  parts,  and  entirely  destitute  of  the 
means  of  grace.  If  crowded  audiences,  earnest  praying, 
practical  preaching,  and  animated  singing,  may  be  con 
sidered  irregular,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  irregularity. 
If  crying  out  for  mercy,  if  shouting  glory  to  God  for 
salvation,  are  disorderly,  then  there  is  some  disorder ; 
but,  I  presume,  not  more  than  there  was  at  the  day  of 
Pentecost. 

"  The  only  thing  with  us,  which  can  be  construed 
into  disorder  or  extravagance,  is  the  motions  of  the 
5* 


54  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

body  under  the  exercise.  In  most  of  the  cases,  when 
the  paroxysm  begins  to  go  off,  the  subject  feels  the 
strongest  desire  for  prayer,  and  frequently  expresses 
himself  in  the  most  pathetic,  fluent,  and  pertinent 
manner  I  ever  heard.  Children  of  five  or  six,  and 
persons  who  before  appeared  grossly  ignorant,  express 
themselves  in  such  a  manner,  form  their  petitions  so 
judiciously,  and  introduce  Scripture  so  pertinently, 
that  I  question  if  the  greatest  doctor  of  divinity  in 
America  would  not  blush  in  the  view  of  his  own 
inferiority. 

"  The  subjects  of  those  exercises  are  found  in  all 
classes,  ranks,  and  degrees  —  the  person  of  eighty  and 
the  child  of  four  ;  the  master  in  affluence,  and  the 
slave  in  bondage ;  the  clergy  in  the  pulpit,  and  the 
laity  in  the  pews  ;  the  man  of  long  religious  standing, 
those  of  a  recent  date,  and  many  who  have  no  religion 
at  all.  It  is  universally  agreed  that  there  is  no  religion 
in  the  bodily  exercise  ;  yet  it  is  thought  to  be  a  very 
solemn,  external  call,  is  well  calculated  to  impress  the 
mind,  and  ought  to  be  improved. 

"  In  short,  I  have  not  only  heard  of  it,  and  seen  it, 
but  have  felt  it,  and  am  persuaded  that  it  is  only  to  be 
effected  by  the  immediate  finger  of  God.  There  are 
some  impostors,  there  are  some  extravagances ;  but 
these  make  no  characteristic  feature  of  the  work,  and 
are  held  in  absolute  abhorrence  by  the  pious.  The 
best  evidence  of  a  revival  is  the  fruit  produced.  To 
this  we  shall  attend :  a  full  enumeration  of  this  would 
swell  my  long  letter  to  a  volume.  The  infidel  of 
many  years'  standing  is  often  seen  laying  down  his 
weapons  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  heard  crying  out, 
"  There  is  a  Savior.  I  enjoy  more  sweetness  in  a 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  55 

moment,  than  I  have  done  for  years,'  &c.  These 
things  I  have  seen  and  heard.  They  have  also  de 
clared,  that  men  and  books  could  never  have  so  effec 
tually  convinced  them  of  the  truth,  as  the  bodily 
exercise  has  done.  Those  of  the  same  class,  who  are 
not  convinced,  are  completely  silenced.  The  ball 
room,  tippling  shops,  and  taverns,  have,  in  a  number  of 
instances,  been  thrown  open  to  the  pious,  and  converted 
into  places  of  prayer  and  praise  in  social  exercise. 
The  most  profane  settlements,  where  religion  was  not 
known,  or  the  name  of  God  mentioned  only  in  blas 
phemy,  are  regularly  formed  into  societies,  and  meet 
weekly  for  social  prayer.  The  very  caves  of  the 
mountains,  where  a  few  of  the  more  indifferent  had 
crowded,  are  now  sounding  with  praise  to  God.  Pray 
ing  societies  may  be  attended  every  day  or  every  night 
in  the  week,  by  a  ride  of  a  few  miles.  In  these,  boys 
of  twelve  or  fifteen  will  cheerfully  take  their  part, 
when  called  upon.  In  all  these  societies,  there  is 
one  appointed  to  preside,  who  reads  the  Scriptures, 
chooses  and  points  out  the  hymns,  and  calls  on  persons 
to  pray,  as  he  chooses ;  and  thus  all  is  conducted  with 
decency  and  order.  It  is  not  uncommon  on  Sabbath 
evenings,  and  frequently  in  the  week,  to  find  twenty  or 
more  children  associated  in  a  silent  grove,  none  of  them 
more  than  twelve  years  old,  and  engaged  in  the  most 
solemn  prayer. 

"  I  have  drawn  near  them,  and  seen  and  heard  won 
ders  indescribable  —  some  crying  to  Jesus  for  mercy ; 
some  shouting,  *  Glory  to  God  for  salvation ; '  others 
praying  for  their  own  souls  —  their  brothers,  sisters, 
fathers,  mothers,  friends,  ministers  —  praying  for  the 
church  —  the  heathen  —  yea,  for  the  world  at  large.  O, 


56  THE    WESTERN     SKETCH-BOOK. 

sir,  nothing  but  the  hosannas  of  the  children  on  the 
entry  of  Christ  into  Jerusalem,  could  equal  the  praises 
of  these  infants.  Nor  is  this  a  hasty  flash,  but  con 
tinues,  while  they  are  evidently  become  both  more 
dutiful  and  docile.  Their  desire,  as  soon  as  they  take 
the  bodily  exercise,  for  instruction  and  for  the  means 
of  grace,  is  past  conception.  The  poor  black  slaves  are 
much  reformed ;  they  are  more  dutiful,  faithful,  and 
upright ;  and  many  of  their  nights,  after  days  of 
fatigue,  are  spent  in  social  prayer.  In  a  word,  the 
Christian  is  animated,  the  hypocrite  alarmed,  and  sin 
ners  tremble.  The  doctrines  of  the  cross  are  thirsted 
after,  and  more  fully  understood,  than  they  would  have 
been,  in  a  common  way,  in  ten  years'  regular  attention. 
Total  depravity,  free  grace,  inexcusable  rebellion, 
and  infinite  mercy,  are  favorite  topics.  The  great 
object  appears  to  be,  to  despise  self,  and  exalt  the 
Redeemer.  The  sinner  ceases  to  make  terms  with  his 
Creator,  and  surrenders  in  entire,  unconditional  sub 
mission.  The  love  of  Christians  for  each  other  has 
increased  at  least  tenfold,  especially  with  those  who 
have  been  the  subjects  of  the  bodily  exercise,  (for  it  is 
to  be  remarked,  that  all  Christians  are  not  the  subjects 
of  it,)  and  the  zeal  for  the  interest  of  Zion  has  had  a 
proportionate  increase.  Prayer,  praise,  and  religious 
conversation,  are  clearly  the  order  of  the  day  ;  and  this 
practice,  passing  through  the  common  circles  of  society, 
has  bettered  their  state  and  sweetened  the  relations 
of  life. 

"  These  are  some  of  the  effects  produced  ;  and  while 
such  is  the  fruit  of  the  moral  tree,  I  shall  consider  the 
root  good,  and  the  cause  producing  it  divine.  I  ought 
to  have  remarked,  that  the  bodily  exercise  is  not  the 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  57 

effect  of  the  weakness  of  the  nervous  system,  for  the 
weak,  hysterical  female  will  often  remain  unmoved, 
while  the  stout  and  sturdy  veteran  will  sink  and  fall 
by  her  side.  As  soon  as  any  person  who  has  been  the 
subject  of  the  exercise  has  been  attacked  by  sickness, 
the  exercise  leaves  him  entirely,  until  he  again  recovers 
strength,  when  it  returns  with  force  proportionate  to 
his  returning  strength.  After  all  I  have  said,  you  will 
not  be  able  to  form  an  accurate  judgment  of  the  thing 
without  being  a  spectator  yourself;  nor  can  it  be  fully 
described  by  any  man  on  earth.  I  have  simply  stated 
facts  so  far  as  I  have  gone,  not  any  by  hearsay,  but 
what  I  have  seen  myself.  Should  the  bodily  exercise 
produce  as  good  fruits  in  Philadelphia  as  it  has  done 
here,  I  should  sincerely  wish  to  hear  of  it  making  its 
appearance  in  that  city.  When  persons  are  under  the 
bodily  exercise,  they  can  think  and  express  themselves 
beyond  their  common  level  very  considerably ;  and  of 
this  I  am  convinced  by  experience. 
"  I  am,  &c. 

"GIDEON  BLACKBURN." 

2.  But  were  there  not  alarming  errors  in  doctrines 
that  sprang  up  in  the  west  during  that  revival  ?  Did 
not  Arianism  and  Socinianism  come  in  like  a  flood  ? 
Did  not  Shakerism  appear  and  make  many  converts  ? 
I  answer,  Arianism  and  Socinianism,  in  their  various 
forms,  were  making  great  progress  at  that  time  in  Ger 
many,  in  England,  in  the  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland, 
and  in  portions  of  our  Atlantic  states.  And  it  is  true, 
that  while  the  public  mind  was  waked  up  on  the  great 
subject  of  religion  in  the  west,  Arianism  and  Socinian 
ism  appeared  in  some  parts  of  the  country :  there  were 


58  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

some  cases,  among  both  ministers  and  people,  where 
these  forms  of  error  were  embraced,  which  occasioned 
deep  regret  in  the  church.  It  is  further  true,  that  three 
Shaker  missionaries,  from  Lebanon,  in  New  York,  I 
believe,  came  to  the  west,  and  succeeded  in  forming 
two  small  societies  in  Kentucky,  and  one  in  Ohio. 
This  is  about  the  extent  to  which  Shakerism  obtained 
any  permanent  foothold  in  the  west.  The  revival 
prevailed  over  large  districts  of  Western  Pennsylvania. 
The  region  round  about  Pittsburg  was  greatly  blessed. 
It  prevailed  extensively  in  Western  and  South-western 
Virginia.  It  literally  covered  most  of  the  settled  por 
tions  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  and  visited 
extensive  regions  in  North  and  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia.  Through  this  entire  range  of  country,  the 
Baptist  church,  the  Methodist  church,  and  the  Presby 
terian  church,  were  blessed  and  prospered  greatly  ;  and 
yet,  because  Socinianism  and  Arianism  made  a  limited 
impression  in  portions  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  while 
they  were  marching  in  triumph  through  some  of  the 
Atlantic  regions  and  through  large  districts  of  Europe, 
and  because  Shakerism  was  imported  from  the  east, 
and  planted  at  two  points  in  Kentucky,  and  one  in 
Ohio,  the  devil  has  labored  hard  to  send  abroad  the 
proclamation,  that  the  great  western  revival  resulted 
in  little  else  than  disorders  —  Arianism  and  Shakerism. 
In  a  conversation  which  I  once  had  with  Dr.  Nelson, 
concerning  this  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  by 
which  the  overspreading  tide  of  infidelity  was  arrested, 
and  the  west  transformed  into  a  Christian  land,  he 
expressed  much  regret  that  this  richest  blessing,  be 
stowed  by  a  bountiful  God,  in  our  early  history,  should 
have  been  so  egregiously  misrepresented  and  misun- 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  59 

derstood  in  other  parts  of  the  Union.  I  asked  him  this 
question  — 

"  Do  you  not  think,  doctor,  that  the  devil  must  have 
immense  talent  ?  " 

"Sir,"  said  he,  "  my  respect  for  his  talent  is  rising 
regularly,  the  more  I  see  of  his  management." 

When  God  has  been  pleased  graciously  to  visit  a 
people  with  the  quickening  power  of  his  Spirit,  and 
many  have  been  turned  from  sin  to  holiness,  and  from 
Satan  to  God,  is  it  not  marvellous  that  good  men  can 
be  so  deluded  by  the  wiles  of  the  great  adversary  as  to 
become  evidently  eager  to  impute  all  the  wrong  things 
that  may  appear  in  that  community,  for  ten  or  twenty 
years  afterwards,  to  the  influence  of  the  revival  ?  With 
as  much  propriety,  you  might  charge  the  apostasy  of 
Judas  to  the  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Inspiration  tells  us,  that  in  order  to  accomplish  his 
base  designs,  the  devil  assumes  various  disguises.  At 
one  time  he  is  a  serpent  —  "  that  old  serpent."  Again, 
"he  goeth  about  as  a  roaring  lion."  And  again,  he 
appears  as  a  "  great  red  dragon."  Now,  I  venture  to 
surmise,  that  had  we  an  inspired  history  of  the  strata 
gems  of  the  devil  at  this  day,  we  should  find,  that 
he  resorts  to  another  disguise,  in  order  to  deceive,  to 
wit,  that  of  a  turkey-buzzard;  and  he  will  flutter  and 
flap  his  foul  wings  over  a  fragment  of  his  favorite  car 
rion,  and,  if  possible,  raise  dust  enough  to  prevent  you 
from  discerning  all  the  beauty  that  is  visible  among 
"  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills." 

Why  should  Arianism,  Socinianism,  or  Shakerism 
be  brought  up  to  dishonor  the  western  revival  of  1800, 
when  all  these  "  isms,"  originated  elsewhere,  were  but 
imported  into  the  west,  and  never  prevailed  there  as 


60  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

they  have  prevailed  in  regions  where  that  revival  was 
unknown  ?  Certain  it  is  that  no  men  more  regretted 
any  departures  from  sound  doctrine  than  did  those 
good  men  whose  labors  were  so  abundantly  blessed  in 
that  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  which  the 
west,  in  its  infancy,  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of 
God. 

Nor  do  I  believe  that  now,  after  the  lapse  of  near 
fifty  years,  there  is  any  part  of  the  Christian  world, 
where,  in  proportion  to  their  numbers,  there  is  in  the 
several  evangelical  denominations  more  of  that  religion 
which  God  approves,  than  in  the  region  visited  by  the 
revival  of  1800. 

I  will  here  mention  one  district,  one  denomination, 
and  one  family. 

The  district  is  that  included  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Presbyterian  synod  of  Tennessee,  that  is,  East 
Tennessee,  and  a  portion  of  South-western  Virginia. 
This  region  was  powerfully  visited  with  the  Spirit  of 
God  during  the  great  revival.  And  in  fact,  the  revival 
continued  there  when  it  had  ceased  at  many  other 
points.  Fifteen  years  after  the  commencement  of  this 
glorious  work,  I  entered  the  ministry  in  that  country, 
and  labored  there  until  1830.  I  was  extensively 
acquainted  with  churches  and  families  through  much 
of  that  region.  It  was  then  called  the  "  Switzerland 
of  America,"  in  reference  to  the  mountainous  features 
of  the  country,  and  the  prevalence  of  pure,  Protestant 
religion.  If,  at  that  period,  there  was  any  considerable 
number  of  Arians  and  Socinians.  or  even  one  Shaker 
family,  in  all  that  range  of  country,  I  know  not  where 
they  were  to  be  found.  An  accurate  and  extensive 
knowledge  of  the  Bible,  in  connection  with  a  conse- 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  61 

cration  of  the  soul  to  God  in  Christ,  existed  among 
that  people  to  a  degree  that  is  rare  in  this  fallen  world. 
This  was  the  fruit  of  God's  Spirit  in  that  memorable 
revival. 

The  denomination  to  which  I  refer  is  that  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterians.  This  body  of  Christian 
people  began  their  organized  existence  during  that 
great  divine  visitation.  They  now  have  a  member 
ship  numbering,  as  I  am  informed,  some  hundred  and 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand.  I  say  nothing  of  the 
shades  of  opinion,  in  which  they  may  vary  from  other 
Presbyterian  bodies.  They  preach  salvation  through 
the  atonement  of  a  divine  Redeemer,  and  the  renewing 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  are  among  them 
very  many  strong  men  —  "workmen  that  need  not 
to  be  ashamed."  And  their  blessed  Master  has  been 
with  them  in  every  part  of  that  wide  field  where  they 
have  labored,  and  has  made  his  gospel  "  the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  "  to  many  thousands  of  believing 
souls.  From  my  inmost  soul  I  honor  these  men,  arid 
I  will  speak  of  it  in  the  presence  of  the  church  of 
my  God.  For  without  patronage  or  prospect  of  ade 
quate  worldly  support,  they  "  did  put  their  life  in  their 
hand,"  and  met  difficulties  and  dangers  that  were  for 
midable  and  many,  and  by  their  instrumentality  "  the 
Lord  wrought  a  great  salvation."  Z ion's  friends  have 
seen  it,  and  rejoice. 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  declaring  my  belief,  that 
during  the  last  forty  years,  no  body  of  Christian  min 
isters  in  America,  or  even  in  the  world,  have  preached 
so  much  good,  effective  preaching,  and  received  so  little 
worldly  compensation,  as  the  ministers  of  the  Cumber 
land  Presbyterian  church.  That  church  now  stands 
6 


62  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

before  earth  and  heaven  a  monument  of  God's  great 
work  in  the  revival  of  1800. 

The  family  I  wished  to  mention  is  that  of  my 
grandfather.  I  am  confident  that  there  is  no  impro 
priety  in  this.  My  aim  is  that  Zion's  God  may  be 
glorified,  and  the  work  of  God's  Spirit  may  be  seen  in 
its  bearing  on  a  single  house. 

My  grandfather,  with  a  family  of  seven  sons  and 
two  daughters,  emigrated  from  the  state  of  Pennsyl 
vania  to  East  Tennessee  very  soon  after  the  treaty  of 
peace  with  Great  Britain,  in  1783.  Both  the  parents 
died  within  a  few  years  after  their  removal,  leaving 
this  large  family  of  young  persons,  amid  the  trials  and 
dangers  of  a  new  country,  distracted  with  Indian  hos 
tilities.  One  of  the  brothers  went  to  a  distant  part 
of  the  country  at  an  early  day.  The  conclusion  of  his 
earthly  history  I  never  knew.  But  the  six  brothers 
and  the  two  sisters,  all  now  married  and  blessed  with 
families,  were  living  comparatively  near  to  each  other 
at  the  commencement  of  the  great  revival.  Thus  far 
they  had  all  lived  "  without  God  and  without  hope  in 
the  world."  In  that  wonderful  visitation  of  divine 
mercy,  these  six  brothers  and  their  wives,  these  two 
sisters  and  their  "husbands,  were  all  made  the  happy 
subjects  of  renewing  grace.  O,  I  have  heard  these 
brothers,  and  these  sisters,  after  they  had  entered  on 
their  march  for  the  city  of  God,  singing  the  honors  of 
their  Redeemer  in  such  lines  as  these  :  — 


"  Amazing"  grace !  how  sweet  the  sound ! 

That  saved  a  wretch  like  me. 
I  once  was  lost,  but  now  am  found ; 
Was  blind,  but  now  I  see. 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL. 


"  'Twas  grace  that  taught  my  heart  to  fear, 

And  grace  my  fear  relieved. 
How  precious  did  that  grace  appear, 
The  hour  I  first  believed ! 

"  Through  many  dangers,  toils,  and  snares, 

I  have  already  come  ; 
'Tis  grace  has  brought  me  safe  thus  far, 
And  grace  will  lead  me  home. 

"  The  Lord  has  promised  good  to  me ; 

His  word  my  hope  secures  ; 
He  will  my  shield  and  portion  be, 
As  long  as  life  endures. 

"  Yes,  when  this  flesh  and  heart  shall  fail, 

And  mortal  life  shall  cease, 
I  shall  possess,  within  the  veil, 
A  life  of  joy  and  peace. 

"  The  earth  shall  soon  dissolve  like  snow, 

The  sun  forbear  to  shine  ; 
But  God,  who  called  me  here  below, 
Will  be  forever  mine." 

These  brothers  and  sisters  are  now  gone  to  "  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumerable  company 
of  angels."  From  most  of  their  families  I  have  been 
separated  for  many  years.  But  I  have  received  the 
joyful  intelligence  that  among  them  the  mercy  of  the 
Lord  has  gone  down  to  children,  and  to  children's  chil 
dren.  Of  the  family  of  one  of  these  brothers,  however, 
I  can  speak  more  particularly.  In  that  family,  both 
of  the  parents  lived  and  " walked  with  God"  more 
than  forty  years  from  the  period  when  they  first 
entered  into  his  holy  covenant.  They  then  died  in 
faith,  and  in  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality.  Ten  of 
their  children  attained  the  years  of  maturity :  all  of 


64  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

these  consecrated  themselves  to  God  early,  in  the 
morning  of  life.  Six  of  their  number  have  already 
crossed  the  cold  stream,  and  gone  up  "  to  the  general 
assembly  and  church  of  the  first  born,  which  are  writ 
ten  in  heaven."  Of  the  surviving  four,  three  are  sons, 
who  have  long  labored  in  the  west  as  ministers  of  the 
gospel  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  Two  of  them,  at 
this  date.  (November,  1849,)  have  been  preaching  about 
twenty-five  years.  Their  ministry  has  been  owned 
of  God,  and  blessed  to  the  souls  of  many.  The  other 
son,  however  unworthy  of  the  privilege,  has  preached 
the  gospel  of  Christ  almost  thirty-four  years.  In  his 
family,  the  six  eldest  children  have  dedicated  them 
selves  to  God  while  very  young  ;  one  at  the  age  of 
nine  years,  and  all  the  others  before  their  years  had 
numbered  twelve. 

These  humble  statistics  are  recorded,  in  the 
"  Western  Sketch-Book,"  to  the  glory  of  the  great 
name  of  Zion's  King,  and  that  honest  inquirers,  who 
are  desirous  of  knowing  the  truth,  may  have  facts 
before  them  from  which  to  judge  of  the  fruits  and 
results  of  the  "  western  revival  of  1800." 

The  facts  given  here,  however,  are  but  a  "  handful  to 
the  harvest."  But,  O,  "  the  Lord  shall  count,  when 
he  writeth  up  the  people,  that  this  and  that  man  was 
born  there."  And  distant  generations  will  rise  up  and 
give  hallelujahs  to  his  name,  that  he  baptized  our 
beloved  western  country,  in  its  early  infancy,  by  this 
memorable  outpouring  of  his  Holy  Spirit. 

There  is  here  another  instance  of  that  beautiful 
analogy,  before  mentioned,  between  the  ancient  and 
modern  dispensations  of  God's  providence  and  grace. 
"  When  the  day  of  Pentecost  had  fully  come,  there 


THE    GREAT    REVIVAL.  65 

were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  "  — that  is,  they  were  col 
lected  to  celebrate  the  feast  of  Pentecost  —  "Jews, 
devout  men,  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven." 
God's  grace  came  down  on  them,  and  three  thousand 
were  converted  in  one  day,  and  five  thousand  in 
another,  and  great  multitudes  were  thus  added  to  the 
infant  church.  Now,  mark,  when  this  pentecostal  sea 
son  was  concluded,  and  all  these  converts  returned  to 
their  homes,  they  carried  the  elements  of  Christianity 
with  them  into  almost  every  part  of  the  heathen  world. 
When  the  apostles  afterwards  went  abroad  among  the 
nations  to  preach  the  gospel  and  organize  churches,  in 
almost  every  province,  in  almost  every  city,  in  almost 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  Gentile  world,  they  found 
more  or  less  of  these  early  converts,  to  hold  up  their 
hands,  to  join  with  them  in  prayer,  to  assist  them  by 
their  counsel,  and,  in  fact,  to  furnish  a  nucleus  around 
which  churches  might  be  gathered ;  and  the  apostles 
rejoiced,  while  they  marvelled,  at  the  depth,  and  height, 
and  perfection  of  the  counsels  of  God. 

Now,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  communities  at  a 
distance  have  been  emptying  their  population  into  the 
great  valley.  Not  only  have  the  streams  poured  in 
from  the  older  states  of  our  happy  Union,  but  Euro 
pean  nations  have  sent  over  their  thousands  and  their 
hundreds  of  thousands.  With  the  alien  character  of 
our  foreign  population,  and  the  proneness  of  the 
American  emigrant  to  forget  his  religion  when  he  goes 
to  the  west,  we  know  not  what  the  results  might 
have  been,  had  no  other  element  been  thrown  in  by 
divine  Providence.  But  God  had  interposed.  He  had 
imbued  the  strong,  resolute  western  man  with  supreme 
love  to  Christ  and  his  church.  He  had,  by  his  Holy 


66  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Spirit,  made  this  fearless,  decided  western  man  a  Chris 
tian  and  a  Protestant.  And  the  minister  who  for  more 
than  thirty  years  has  travelled  in  the  west,  preaching 
and  organizing  churches,  has  found  this  firm,  deter 
mined  western  man  standing  up  at  every  point  for  the 
honor  and  for  the  church  of  his  divine  Master.  And 
he,  with  great  frequency,  is  the  nucleus  around  which 
young  churches  are  formed  in  the  wide  west  to  the 
glory  of  our  Redeemer. 

Other  agencies  have  come  into  the  field  since,  and 
they  have  done  well.  But  "  render  unto  Cesar  the 
things  that  are  Cesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things  that 
are  God's."  Be  it  known,  therefore,  unto  thee,  "  O 
earth  !  earth  !  earth !  "  that  the  mighty  west  is  a  Chris 
tian  and  Protestant  land,  because  the  God  of  glory 
appeared  there  at  an  early  day,  and  poured  the  abun 
dance  of  his  salvation  upon  her  people.  Ah,  she  will 
carry  down  to  far  distant  ages  the  decided  impression 
and  fixed  character  mstamped  upon  her  childhood  by 
the  seal  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  GEN.  JACKSON.    67 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  GENERAL 
JACKSON. 


COLONEL  SAMUEL  M.  GRANT,  of  Northern  Missouri, 
first  waked  up  my  mind  to  the  importance  of  recording 
and  preserving  the  testimony  of  General  Jackson  on 
the  subject  of  the  truth  and  value  of  the  Christian 
religion.  Said  he,  "I  was  in  Palmyra  at  the  time  the 
news  was  received  of  General  Jackson's  public  profes 
sion  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  A  gentleman,  whom  I 
had  long  known  as  a  professed  rejecter  of  the  gospel, 
hailed  me  at  the  door  of  his  office,  and  desired  me  to 
come  in,  I  entered,  and  he  held  up  a  newspaper,  and 
said,  i  I  have  just  been  reading  the  account  of  General 
Jackson  making  a  profession  of  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  is  long  since  my  eyes  have  known  a  tear ; 
but  now  I  have  been  weeping  freely  in  view  of  that 
venerable  old  man  standing  up  in  the  church  and 
confessing  Christ  as  his  Savior.'  "  Such  was  Colonel 
Grant's  account  of  this  incident  in  Palmyra,  which,  he 
said,  affected  his  heart  much,  as  he  had  long  known 
this  gentleman,  and  had  regarded  him  as  hopelessly 
sunk  in  the  vortex  of  infidelity ;  and  now  he  was  sur 
prised  and  gratified  to  find  him  startled  and  roused  to 
such  an  extent  by  the  public  religious  stand  taken  by 
General  Jackson.  Colonel  Grant  then  proceeded  to 
remark,  "  In  my  early  days,  the  palpable  and  notorious 


68          ..     THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

infidelity  of  Thomas  Jefferson  spread  a  desolation  that 
was  mournful  over  the  entire  face  of  the  western  coun 
try.  Jefferson  was  distinguished  as  a  politician.  His 
fame  was  every  where  as  the  draughtsman  of  the  Dec 
laration  of  Independence.  And  when  it  was  blown 
abroad  that  Thomas  Jefferson  had  imbibed  the  French 
infidelity,  and  rejected  the  gospel,  it  was  like  i  the 
destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday.'  The  enemies 
of  religion  took  courage,  put  on  airs  of  immense  con 
sequence,  boasted,  plumed  themselves,  and  threw  up 
their  blasphemy  in  the  face  of  Heaven.  Ah !  it  was 
reputable,  it  was  literary,  it  was  scientific,  to  scowl 
at  the  gospel,  and  pour  forth  '  great  swelling  words  ' 
against  all  that  is  sacred.  But  now,"  continued  Col 
onel  Grant,  "  here  is  a  man,  raised  up  by  the  hand  of 
God  to  the  possession  of  an  influence  far  beyond  all 
that  Jefferson  ever  possessed ;  for  Jefferson  never  was 
able  to  wield  public  opinion,  in  this  great  nation,  as 
General  Jackson  has  done.  And  yet  this  man  publicly 
prostrates  himself  before  the  cross,  and  calls  on  the 
crucified  Redeemer  as  his  Lord  and  his  God.  The 
American  church  should  not  suffer  this  important  testi 
mony  of  General  Jackson  to'  be  overlooked  or  for 
gotten."  Such  were  the  remarks  of  Colonel  Samuel 
M.  Grant.  I  felt  their  appropriateness  and  their  power. 
I  had  known  General  Jackson  personally  from  early 
childhood.  My  father's  house  was  one  of  his  occa 
sional  resting-places,  while  lie  officiated  as  judge  in 
the  state  of  Tennessee,  long  before  he  was  elected 
general.  I  remembered  his  conversation  in  the  family. 
I  remembered  that  when  the  infidelity  of  Voltaire, 
Volney,  and  Thomas  Paine  were  fashionable,  rampant, 
and  considered  as  almost  essential  to  the  standing  of  a 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JACKSON.         69 

gentleman,  Judge  Jackson  freely  and  frequently  averred 
his  full  and  unwavering  confidence  in  the  divine  author 
ity  of  the  Bible,  and  the  truth  of  the  gospel  declaration 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  Savior  of  lost  men,  and 
that  we  must  repent  of  sin,  and  obey  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  or  our  souls  cannot  be  saved.  I  often  thought 
of  the  importance  of  recording  General  Jackson's  tes 
timony  in  relation  to  the  gospel ;  but  his  name  was  so 
identified  with  the  politics  of  the  country,  that  it  was 
difficult  to  say  any  thing  concerning  him,  without 
touching  some  political  chord,  which  I  wished  not  to 
agitate. 

But  now  the  old  general  is  gone.  The  political  am 
bition  which  his  name  so  often  awakened,  has  almost 
wholly  died  away.  The  generation  with  which  he 
was  identified  is  rapidly  passing  into  eternity.  And 
soon  the  language  of  the  poet,  in  its  fullest  extent, 
will  be  applicable  to  him  in  his  earthly  history :  — 

"  He  suffered,  but  his  pangs  are  o'er  ; 

Enjoyed,  but  his  delights  are  fled  ; 
Had  friends  —  his  friends  are  now  no  more ; 
And  foes  —  his  foes  are  dead." 

Andrew  Jackson  was  the  son  of  an  eminently  pious 
mother,  who  died  when  he  was  about  fourteen  years 
of  age.  By  this  mother  he  was  early  taught  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  his  young  mind  deeply  imbued  with 
the  knowledge  of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  gospel. 
With  the  Catechism  of  the  Westminster  Assembly  he 
was  familiar  before  his  mother's  death.  The  Christian 
counsel,  the  prayers,  the  pious  example  of  that  mother, 
attended  him  through  all  the  meanderings  of  his 
eventful  life,  and  had  a  controlling  agency  in  mould- 


70  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

ing  and  guiding  the  thoughts  and  sentiments  of  his 
powerful  mind. 

He  emigrated  from  South  Carolina,  his  native  state, 
to  Tennessee,  when  infidelity  flooded  all  the  land. 
With  that  infidelity  Andrew  Jackson  would  have  no 
communion.  He  was  not  then  a  church  member  ; 
but  he  honored  God  in  word  by  the  frank,  full,  and 
often-repeated  declaration  of  his  absolute  confidence  in 
the  truth  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  man's  need  of 
the  great  salvation  therein  revealed.  It  was,  indeed,  a 
rare  and  affecting  spectacle  —  a  young  lawyer  of 
acknowledged  talents,  great  promise,  and  brilliant 
worldly  prospects,  standing  up  the  fearless  advocate  of 
the  religion  of  the  Bible ;  breasting,  with  undaunted 
fortitude,  a  perverted  and  polluted  public  sentiment, 
and  amidst  the  scoffs  and  sneers  of  popular  sceptics 
around,  unmoved  as  the  rock  that  breaks  the  billows 
which  in  vain  attempt  to  shake  it. 

The  elements  of  true  greatness  were  already  con 
spicuous  in  the  character  of  the  youthful  Jackson. 
Those  extraordinary  attributes  of  mind  already  stood 
forth,  which  in  after  life  enabled  him  to  sway  and 
direct  public  opinion  in  one  of  the  greatest  nations  on 
the  earth  —  attributes  of  mind  which  so  lifted  him  up, 
that,  in  fact,  he  will  be  to  posterity  the  most  notable 
landmark  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  For  this 
reason  his  testimony  to  the  divinity  of  the  gospel  had 
great  weight.  General  Jackson  was  not  at  this  period 
a  professor  of  religion.  Nor  can  it  be  said  that  he 
avoided  the  fashionable  amusements  of  the  day.  But 
he  honored  God  in  word.  And  when  the  faithful 
minister  of  the  gospel  publicly  rebuked  sin,  Jack 
son  honored  the  messenger  of  God,  and  acknowledged 
the  righteousness  of  the  message. 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JACKSON.          71 

An  instance  of  this  occurred  in  the  ministerial  labors 
of  Rev.  Robert  Henderson.  This  venerable  man  was 
a  zealous  and  powerful  preacher,  who  labored  abun 
dantly  among  the  plain,  frontier  population  of  the  west. 
In  those  primitive  days,  the  minister  of  the  gospel 
considered  it  his  duty  to  rebuke  sin,  in  whatever  circle 
of  society  it  might  lift  up  its  deformed  head.  Hen 
derson  had  a  courageous  heart,  fervent  piety,  and 
descriptive  powers  of  a  very  high  order.  Perhaps  the 
reader  would  be  pleased  with  a  specimen  of  the  style 
of  Henderson  in  reproving  sin.  If  so,  he  shall  be  grati 
fied.  Among  the  popular  vices  then  in  vogue,  horse- 
racing  and  cock-fighting  were  preeminent.  The  latter 
fashionable  sport,  as  it  was  then  called,  had  many 
admirers  among  western  gentlemen.  Of  this  number 
General  Jackson  was  one.  The  consequence  was,  that 
game  chickens  were  in  high  repute,  and  were  objects 
of  much  attention.  There  had  been  a  large  collection 
of  gentlemen  at  one  of  our  western  villages,  and  Gen 
eral  Jackson  was  among  them.  The  day  had  been 
spent  in  their  favorite  sport.  It  was  Saturday ;  and,  as 
the  evening  drew  on,  Rev.  Robert  Henderson  rode  into 
town,  stopped  at  the  principal  hotel,  and  announced  that 
he  would  preach  in  the  court-house  on  the  next  day. 
The  tidings  Avent  abroad  on  the  wings  of  the  wind, 
for  Henderson  was  well  known,  and  it  was  generally 
expected  that,  when  he  appeared,  popular  and  fashion 
able  vices  would  meet  with  rough  handling. 

The  morning  came.  The  congregation  assembled. 
The  sermon  commenced.  "  Lo,  this  only  have  I  found, 
that  God  hath  made  man  upright ;  but  they  have 
sought  out  many  inventions."  (Eccl.  vii.  29.)  The 
preacher  spoke  in  elevated  terms  of  the  exalted  and 


72  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

noble  existence  which  the  great  God  bestowed  on  man 
at  his  creation.  He  was  created  rational  and  immortal. 
He  was  endued  with  capacity  for  receiving  the  knowl 
edge  and  enjoying  the  fellowship  of  the  Most  High. 
He  was  made  but  a  little  lower  than  the  angels.  He 
was  created  in  the  image  of  God;  and  when  man, 
perfect  in  body  and  soul,  was  stationed  in  Eden,  the 
spectacle  was  so  interesting,  that  enraptured  throngs 
of  celestial  beings  fastened  their  fixed  gaze  upon  him. 
Angelic  multitudes  came  from  far  to  behold  this  new 
specimen  of  the  wonderful  workmanship  of  the  Most 
High.  And  while  they  saw,  in  holy,  happy  man,  rich 
disclosures  of  the  wisdom,  the  goodness,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Eternal  One,  '  the  morning  stars  sang  together, 
and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy.' 

•'But,  O,  'how  are  the  mighty  fallen!     How  has 
the    fine   gold   become   dim ! '     Paradise   is  lost,  and 

man  is 

"  Fallen,  fallen,  fallen,  fallen, 
Fallen  from  his  high  estate ! " 

The  trail  of  the  serpent  degrades  and  pollutes  the  earth 
on  which  we  tread.  The  energies  of  Adam's  sons  are 
now  exhausted  in  pursuit  of  bubbles  and  vanity.  '  They 
sow  the  wind,  and  they  reap  the  whirlwind.'  I  will 
give  you  an  example.  On  my  arrival  at  this  place  on 
last  evening,  I  was  happy  to  learn  that  quite  a  number  of 
distinguished  gentlemen  were  in  town  —  colonels,  and 
generals,  and  judges  ;  men  whom  their  fellow-citizens 
have  delighted  to  honor,  and  to  whom  God  has 
given  endowments  calculated  to  bless  and  adorn 
society.  I  anticipated  an  intellectual  feast.  I  was 
glad  of  the  opportunity  of  spending  an  evening  in 
such  an  enlightened  circle.  I  congratulated  myself  in 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JACKSON.         73 

prospect  of  an  entertainment  so  rich  both  in  pleasure 
and  in  profit. 

"  And  now,  friends,  what  do  you  suppose  was  the 
great  theme  of  discussion  in  this  assembly  of  superior 
men  ?  Some  may,  perhaps,  conjecture  that  they  dis 
coursed  of  international  law — those  measures  of  enlight 
ened  policy  which  are  calculated,  on  the  largest  scale, 
to  benefit  the  human  race.  But  no  ;  such  was  not  their 
theme.  Others  may  suppose  that  the  attention  of  this 
select  body  of  men  was  occupied  by  some  new  dis 
covery  in  astronomy.  As  our  glasses  are  improved, 
remoter  fields  of  creation  come  to  view.  But  no  ;  this 
was  not  their  subject.  Or,  do  you  imagine  that  their 
eyes  were  directed  to  the  wonders  of  redemption, 
which  drew  down  celestial  armies  to  Bethlehem,  arid 
caused  them  to  sing  heavenly  anthems  in  the  hearing 
of  men  ?  No,  friends  ;  such  was  not  their  topic.  The 
whole  burden  of  conversation  for  the  evening  — 
I  blush  while  I  repeat  it,  but  the  duty  is  imperative  — 
the  whole  burden  of  conversation  was,  '  game  chick 
ens  !  game  chickens  !  —  their  long  pedigrees,  their  rare 
qualities,  their  bloody  battles  ! '  Tell  it  not  in  Gath  ! 
publish  it  not  in  the  streets  of  Askalon  !  O,  when  will 
our  influential  men  learn  and  regard  the  divine  maxim, 
that  <  righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,  but  sin  is  a  re 
proach  to  any  people  ' !  " 

An  inferior  mind  would  have  taken  offence  at  the 
plain  dealing  of  this  resolute  ambassador  of  God.  Not 
so  did  General  Jackson.  Early  the  next  morning,  he 
called  at  the  minister's  room,  and,  in  a  manner  the  most 
frank  and  cordial,  thanked  him  for  his  faithfulness  in 
rebuking  sin,  and  his  efforts  for  the  best  interests  of 
society.  He  declared  his  full  conviction  of  the  truth  of 
7 


74  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK 

the  gospel,  and  that  obedience  to  it  was  essential  to  sal 
vation.  And  from  that  period,  General  Jackson  was  the 
firm,  unwavering  supporter  of  this  minister,  until  Robert 
Henderson  was  called  to  go  the  way  of  all  the  earth. 

It  was  said,  that  General  Jackson  honored  God  in 
word,  long  before  he  became  a  member  of  the  church. 
I  wish  to  dwell  a  little  on  this  point.     For  a  number 
of  years,  facts   have   been  coming  before  my  mind, 
which  have  fastened  upon  it  this  conviction,  that  the 
amount  of  guilt  brought  on  the  soul  of  man  by  evil 
words,  is  very  great.    There  is  a  wretched  and  wide 
spread  delusion  on  the  public  mind  in  reference  to  this 
matter.     Many  think  that  words  are  but  breath,  • —  mere 
empty  air,  —  and  that  there  is  but  little  crime  in  the 
use  of  light  and  idle  words  on  the  subject  of  religion. 
Hence  many,  whose  conscience  would  cry  out  against 
a  sinful  act,  will  indulge  in  light  and  jocular  words  on 
serious  things.     I  will  mention  one  or  two  facts  that 
have  deeply  affected  my  own  mind.     In  the  year  1840,     . 
I  saw,  in  Northern  Illinois,  an  old  man,  of  steady  and 
regular  habits,  who  kept  aloof  from  the  church,  while 
his  wife,  and  daughter,  and  son-in-law,  and  other  mem 
bers  of  the  family,  turned  to  the  Lord.     At  length,  I  «. 
asked  him,  in  the  presence  of  his  family,  if  he  was  not 
willing  to  turn  to  the  Lord.     He  replied,  "  There  is  no 
hope  for  me,  I  have  said  so  much  against  the  Lord." 
I  was  not  sure  that  I  correctly  understood  him,  and 
therefore    asked   again,    what    it   was    that    he    had 
remarked.     "  There  is  no  hope  for  me,"  replied  the 
old  man,  "  /  have  spoken  so  much  against  the  Lord." 
It  was  the  first  time  in  my  life,  that  I  had  heard  a 
person  single  out  the  guilt  contracted  by  sins  of  the 
tongue,  as  pressing  with  awful  weight  on  the  troubled 

•X 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JACKSON.         75 

soul ;  and  for  a  moment  I  was  silent.  His  daughter 
was  sitting  by.  She  was  a  woman,  perhaps,  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  Said  she,  "  Why,  father,  I  don't 
remember  to  have  heard  you  speak  against  Christ  and 
his  religion."  "  My  child,  it  was  before  you  were 
born."  His  wife  was  present.  They  had  been  married 
more  than  thirty-three  years.  "  Why,  husband,"  said 
she,  "  I  don't  remember  to  have  heard  you  speak  against 
the  religion  of  Christ."  "My  dear,  it  was  before  you 
were  acquainted  with  me.  When  I  was  a  young  man, 
I  joined  myself  to  a  club  of  infidels.  Our  aim  was  to 
bring  religion  into  contempt  by  ridicule  ;  and,  O,  I  have 
said  so  much  against  the  Lord,  that  there  is  now  no 
hope  for  me."  Here  was  an  old  man,  quailing  under 
the  terrible  load  of  guilt  brought  upon  his  soul  by  evil 
words  uttered  some  thirty-five  or  forty  years  before. 
Take  another  instance.  A  man,  whose  head  was  white 
with  the  frost  of  seventy  winters,  called  upon  me 
when  alone  in  my  room  in  Missouri,  and  said,  "  What 
can  I  do  ?  My  heart  is  cold  and  dead.  I  fear  I  have 
grieved  away  the  Spirit  of  God.  When  I  was  young, 
I  courted  infidelity.  I  thought  it  was  evidence  of  a 
superior  mind  to  scowl  at  the  gospel,  and  make  light 
of  sacred  things.  I  did  so,  till  the  habit  was  formed 
and  fixed  ;  and  now  for  a  long  time  I  have  been  trying 
to  get  rid  of  it.  But  my  heart  seems  dead  to  the 
gospel,  and  the  ghost  of  that  infidelity  which  I  courted 
when  young,  follows  me  wherever  I  go.  It  has  been 
haunting  me  for  years ;  and  I  shudder  at  the  appre 
hension  that  it  will  haunt  me  into  the  grave." 

One  of  the  most  successful  politicians  of  his  day, 
in  the  western  country,  had  allowed  himself  to  profane 
the  language  of  God's  word  by  introducing  it  on  light 


76  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

and  trivial  occasions.  He  would  point  a  joke  with  a 
quotation  from  the  Holy  Scriptures.  When  jesting 
and  indulging  in  playful  remarks,  the  word  of  God 
was  in  his  mouth  with  painful  frequency.  He  became 
habitually  addicted  to  an  irreverent,  profane,  and  shock 
ing  familiarity  with  the  words  of  eternal  truth.  Many 
were  amused  and  made  merry  with  his  supposed  wit. 
But  every  good  man,  that  heard  him  sporting  with  the 
solemn  language  of  God,  was  grieved.  At  length,  a 
sad  change  came  over  him.  He  lost  all  interest  for 
political  life.  He  lost  all  relish  for  the  society  of  his 
friends.  He  lost  all  regard  for  his  own  family.  His 
heart  withered,  life  became  a  burden,  heavy,  horrible, 
insupportable.  And  while  occupying  the  governor's 
chair,  he  took  a  loaded  rifle,  and  put  a  violent  end  to 
his  earthly  existence.  It  was  thought  that,  by  light 
and  vain  words,  he  had  grieved  away  the  favor  of  God. 
And  woe  to  that  man  from  whom  God  departs. 

Addison's  hymn  entitled  "  Gratitude  "  is  very  beauti 
ful  ;  but  perhaps  the  very  finest  stanza  in  that  hymn  is 
this :  — 

"Ten  thousand  thousand  precious  gifts 

My  daily  thanks  employ ; 
Nor  is  the  least  a  cheerful  heart, 

That  tastes  those  gifts  with  joy." 

It  is  the  smile  of  God  that  enables  us  to  rise  in  the 
morning  with  cheerfulness,  and  address  ourselves  with 
good  heart  to  the  cares  and  toils  of  the  day.  But  woe 
to  that  man  from  whom  the  smile  of  God  is  taken  away. 

Wicked  words  have  an  awful  tendency  to  banish  the 
soul  from  the  favor  of  God.  Enoch,  the  seventh  from 
Adam,  predicts  that  one  leading  object  of  the  final  Judge, 
in  the  great  day,  is  to  execute  judgment  on  sinners  for  the 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.     JACKSON.          77 

"  hard  speeches  "  which  they  have  spoken  against  him. 
Two  of  the  ten  commandments  are  employed  to  guard 
men  against  sins  of  the  tongue.  And  it  is  a  sin  of  the 
tongue  —  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost  —  that 
"  shall  never  be  forgiven,  neither  in  this  world,  neither 
in  the  world  to  come." 

I  visited  General  Jackson  twice,  in  the  month  of  Sep 
tember,  1843.  He  was  then  very  frail,  and  had  the 
appearance  of  extreme  old  age ;  but  he  was  reposing 
with  calmness  and  confidence  on  the  promise  and 
covenant  of  God.  He  had  now  been  a  member  of  the 
church  for  several  years.  And  when  I  witnessed  his 
serenity  and  his  unclouded  hope,  I  thought  of  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  honored  God  in  word,  when 
the  cause  of  religion  was  very  unpopular,  and  when  a 
deluge  of  infidelity  threatened  to  desolate  the  whole 
land. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  most  of  our  political  men,  — 
presidents,  governors,  and  those  high  in  authority,  — 
when  they  speak  on  the  subject  of  religion,  use  language 
so  guarded  and  equivocal,  that  a  Turk,  a  Jew,  or  an 
enlightened  heathen  could  adopt  it.  They  will  speak 
of  the  "  Supreme  Being,"  "  the  great  Disposer  of  all 
events,"  "  the  source  of  national  prosperity,"  ,&c.,  &c. 
But  General  Jackson's  language  was  that  of  a  "decided 
Christian.  He  spoke  of  the  divine,  IjLedeemer ;  his, 
wonderful  union  with  the  nature  of  man ;  his 'vicari 
ous  death  in  the  room  of  sinners;  pardon  through 
his  blood ;  and  eternal  glory  in  heaven^  bestowed  on 
believers  for  his  righteousness'  sake, 

There   was   a  little   company  of  Christian 
present  in  the  Hermitage.     After  expressing  tl^ 
est  interest  in  the  church  of  Christ,  qp 
7* 


78  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

she  would  yet  prosper  and  bless  the  world,  General 
Jackson  turned  to  me,  and  said,  "  There  is  a  beautiful 
hymn  on  the  subject  of  the  exceeding  great  and  pre 
cious  promises  of  God  to  his  people.  It  was  a  favorite 
hymn  with  my  dear  wife  till  the  day  of  her  death.  It 
has  been  very  precious  to  me.  It  commences  thus : 
'How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord.'  I 
wish  you  would  sing  it  now."  So  the  little  company 
in  the  Hermitage,  at  his  request,  sung  the  following 
hymn :  — 

"  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  the  excellent  word ! 
What  more  can  he  say  than  to  you  he  hath  said, 
You  who  unto  Jesus  for  refuge  have  fled  ? 

"  In  every  condition,  in  sickness,  in  health, 
In  poverty's  vale  or  abounding  in  wealth, 
At  home  and  abroad,  on  the  land,  on  the  sea, 
As  thy  days  may  demand  shall  thy  strength  ever  be. 

"  Fear  not ;  I  am  with  thee ;  O,  be  not  dismayed  ; 
I,  I  am  thy  God,  and  will  still  give  thee  aid ; 
I'll  strengthen  thee,  help  thee,  and  cause  thee  to  stand, 
Upheld  by  my  righteous,  omnipotent  hand. 

"  When  through  the  deep  waters  I  call  thee  to  go, 
The  rivers  of  woe  shall  not  thee  overflow, 
For  I  will  be  with  thee,  thy  troubles  to  bless, 
And  sanctify  to  thee  thy  deepest  distress. 

"  When  through  fiery  trials  thy  pathway  shall  lie, 
My  grace,  all-sufficient,  shall  be  thy  supply : 
The  flame  shall  not  hurt  thee  ;  I  only  design 
Thy  dross  to  consume,  and  thy  gold  to  refine. 

"  E'en  down  to  old  age,  all  rny  people  shall  prove 
My  sovereign,  eternal,  unchangeable  love  ; 
And  when  hoary  hairs  shall  their  temples  adorn, 
Like  lambs  they  shall  still  in  my  bosom  l>e  borne. 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JA3KSON.          79 

"  The  soul  that  on  Jesus  hath  leaned  for  repose, 
I  will  not,  I  will  not  desert  to  his  foes  ; 
That  soul,  though  all  hell  should  endeavor  to  shake, 
I'll  never,  no,  never,  no,  never  forsake." 

The  sublime  and  glorious  doctrine  embodied  in  this 
hymn  was  the  food  of  his  spirit,  the  joy  and  the 
rejoicing  of  his  heart.  When  I  looked  upon  him, 
now  desolate,  in  extreme  old  age ;  his  early  friends 
almost  entirely  gone ;  his  beloved  wife  in  the  grave  ; 
his  own  health  failing  amidst  accumulating  infirmities, 
yet  reposing,  with  absolute  satisfaction  and  serenity, 
on  the  free,  the  firm,  the  everlasting  gospel, — I  was 
forcibly  reminded  of  that  rich,  unparalleled  paragraph, 
near  the  close  of  Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount: 
"  Therefore  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine, 
and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man, 
which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock  :  And  the  rain 
descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew, 
and  beat  upon  that  house  ;  and  it  fell  not :  for  it  was 
founded  upon  a  rock."  I  walked  into  his  garden,  and 
there  was  the  grave  of  his  wife,  covered  with  a  plain 
marble  slab,  with  the  inscription,  "  RACHEL  JACKSON," 
with  the  date  of  her  birth,  and  her  death,  and  beside 
it  his  own  grave,  all  prepared  and  ready  for  the  recep 
tion  of  his  body,  when  death  should  call  him  home. 

I  learned,  that  when  the  weather  was  good,  he  spent 
a  portion  of  every  day  at  this  grave,  in  meditation  and 
prayer ;  and  that  he  believed  he  was  there  blessed 
with  the  presence  of  Him  who  has  taken  the  sting 
from  death,  and  the  victory  from  the  grave.  I  returned 
to  the  house.  My  parents  had  long  been  his  particular 
friends,  but  they  are  now  departed.  He  met  me  in 
the  hall,  and  said,  "  Your  father  and  your  mother  are 


80  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

gone  !  "  I  silently  assented  ;  my  emotions  forbade  me 
to  speak.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  they  lived  to  a  good  old 
age"  It  is  impossible  for  any  one,  who  never  heard 
General  Jackson  speak,  to  understand  all  the  interest 
that  he  threw  into  this  brief  Bible  quotation.  His  atti 
tude,  his  tones,  the  whole  manner  of  the  venerable  man 
impressed  me  with  a  sense  of  new  beauties  in  that 
precious  promise,  (Gen.  xv.  15,)  "Thou  shalt  go  to 
thy  fathers  in  peace  :  thou  shalt  be  buried  in  a  good 
old  age." 

The  Christian  character  of  General  Jackson  is  seen 
in  his  reply  to  Commodore  Elliott  concerning  the  sar 
cophagus,  or  marble  tomb,  which  had  once  been  pre 
pared  for  an  eastern  king  or  emperor.  Commodore 
Elliott  had  brought  from  Asia  this  sarcophagus,  and 
presented  it  to  the  National  Institute  at  Washington, 
that  through  the  National  Institute  it  might  be  pre 
sented  to  General  Jackson.  The  officer  who  present 
ed  it  to  the  Institute,  remarked,  "It  is  believed  to 
have  once  held  the  remains  of  ALEXANDER  SEVERUS, 
and  it  is  a  fit  resting-place  for  all  that  is  mortal  of  AN 
DREW  JACKSON." 

Commodore  Elliott  wrote  to  General  Jackson,  and 
the  following  is  his  reply  :  — 

"  Dear  Sir  "  HERMITAGE»  March  2?» 1845." 

"  Your  leUer  of  the  18th  instant,  together  with 
the  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the  National  Institute, 
furnished  me  by  their  corresponding  secretary,  on  the 
presentation,  by  you,  of  the  sarcophagus  for  their  ac 
ceptance,  on  condition  it  shall  be  preserved,  and  in 
honor  of  my  memory,  have  been  received,  and  are  now 
before  me. 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JACKSON.          81 

"  Although  laboring  under  great  debility  and  affliction 
from  a  severe  attack,  from  which  I  may  not  recover,  I 
raise  my  pen  and  endeavor  to  reply.  The  steadiness 
of  my  nerves  may,  perhaps,  lead  you  to  conclude  my 
prostration  of  strength  is  not  so  great  as  here  expressed. 
Strange  as  it  may  appear,  my  nerves  are  as  steady  as 
they  were  forty  years  gone  by ;  whilst,  from  debility 
and  affliction,  I  am  gasping  for  breath. 

"  I  have  read  the  whole  proceedings  of  the  presenta 
tion,  by  you,  of  the  sarcophagus,  and  the  resolutions 
passed  by  the  board  of  directors,  so  honorable  to  my 
fame,  with  sensations  and  feelings  more  easily  to  be 
conjectured  than  by  me  expressed.  The  whole  pro 
ceedings  call  for  my  most  grateful  thanks,  which  are 
hereby  tendered  to  you,  and  through  you  to  the  presi 
dent  and  directors  of  the  National  Institute.  But  with 
the  warmest  sensations  that  can  inspire  a  grateful  heart, 
I  must  decline  accepting  the  honor  intended  to  be  be 
stowed.  I  cannot  consent  that  my  mortal  body  shall 
be  laid  in  a  repository  prepared  for  an  emperor  or  a  king. 
My  republican  feelings  and  principles  forbid  it ;  the 
simplicity  of  our  system  of  government  forbids  it. 
Every  monument  erected  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
our  heroes  and  statesmen  ought  to  bear  evidence  of  the 
economy  and  simplicity  of  our  republican  institutions, 
and  the  plainness  of  our  republican  citizens,  who  are 
the  sovereigns  of  our  glorious  Union,  and  whose  virtue 
is  to  perpetuate  it.  True  virtue  cannot  exist  where 
pomp  and  parade  are  the  governing  passions ;  it  can 
only  dwell  with  the  people  —  the  great  laboring  and 
producing  classes,  that  form  the  bone  and  sinew  of  our 
confederacy.  ,* 

"For  these  reasons  I  cannot  accept  the  honor  you, 


82  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

and  the  president  and  directors  of  the  National  Institute, 
intended  to  bestow.  I  cannot  permit  my  remains  to 
be  the  first  in  these  United  States  to  be  deposited  in  a 
sarcophagus  made  for  an  emperor  or  a  king.  I  again 
repeat,  please  accept  for  yourself,  and  convey  to  the 
president  and  directors  of  the  National  Institute,  my 
most  profound  respects  for  the  honor  you  and  they 
intended  to  bestow.  I  have  prepared  an  humble  depos 
itory  for  my  mortal  body  beside  that  wherein  lies  my 
beloved  wife,  where,  without  any  pomp  or  parade,  I 
have  requested,  when  my  God  calls  me  to  sleep  with 
my  fathers,  to  be  laid  —  for  both  of  us  there  to  remain 
until  the  last  trumpet  sounds  to  call  the  dead  to  judg 
ment,  when  we,  I  hope,  shall  rise  together,  clothed 
with  that  heavenly  body  promised  to  all  who  believe 
in  our  glorious  Redeemer,  who  died  for  us,  that  we 
might  live,  and  by  whose  atonement  I  hope  for  a 
blessed  immortality. 

"  I  am,  with  great  respect, 

"  Your  friend  and  fellow-citizen, 

"ANDREW    JACKSON. 
"  To  COM.  J.  D.  ELLIOTT,  United  States  Navy." 

This  letter  is  among  the  last  productions  of  his  pen. 
His  death  soon  followed.  I  hope  yet  to  see  the  above 
letter  beautifully  printed,  on  fine  material,  handsomely 
framed,  and  kept  in  some  conspicuous  place  in  the 
house  of  American  families,  for  the.  instruction  of  chil 
dren  and  children's  children. 

Christian  people  of  America !  bless  the  name  of 
God,  that  he  has  given  you  a  president  who  was  not 
ashamed  to  speak  of  "  our  glorious  Redeemer,  who 
died  for  us,  that  we  might  live ;  "  "the  sounding  of 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JACKSON.        83 

the  last  trump,  to  call  the  dead  to  judgment ;  "  and  his 
"  atonement,"  through  whom  we  "  hope  for  a  blessed 
immortality." 

The  death  of  the  worthy  old  general  furnished  a  fine 
illustration  of  the  sustaining  power  of  the  gospel  when 
earthly  comforts  wither  and  die.  "  Henry,"  said  he  to 
a  highly-valued  young  friend  who  was  attending  in  his 
room  —  "  Henry,  when  we  have  lived  as  long  as  we  can 
be  useful  to  others,  and  as  long  as  we  can  enjoy  life 
ourselves,  we  should  be  willing  to  go  at  our  heavenly 
Father's  call.  That  is  now  my  condition.  I  have  lived 
long  ;  but,  now  the  frailties  of  age  are  upon  me,  I  can 
no  more  be  useful  to  my  friends.  Indeed,  I  can  only 
be  a  burden  to  them.  I  can  no  longer  be  useful  to  the 
church  of  God.  The  pains  of  disease  are  upon  me.  I 
can  no  longer  enjoy  the  bounties  of  Providence  in  life. 
What  then  ?  It  is  time  to  die.  My  heavenly  Father 
calls,  and  I  trust  I  am  ready  to  go." 

The  physician  who  attended  General  Jackson  on  his 
death-bed,  wrote  a  very  instructive  and  powerful  letter, 
describing  the  last  parting  scene  in  the  Hermitage. 
The  chamber  of  death  seemed  very  near  "  the  gate  of 
heaven."  The  soul  of  the  dying  man  was  full  of  the 
hope  of  immortality, while  he  took  an  affectionate  fare 
well  of  the  members  of  his  family,  the  children,  the 
servants,  all  who  belonged  to  the  household.  He  com 
mended  them  to  God  in  Christ  —  spoke  with  unwaver 
ing  confidence  of  life  in  heaven  for  the  followers  of 
the  Redeemer.  He  then  entered  the  cold  stream  of 
death,  and  was  seen  no  more. 

"  As  some  tall  rock,  that  lifts  his  awful  form, 
Swells  from  the  vale,  and  midway  leaves  the  storm, 
Though  round  its  breast  the  rolling  clouds  are  spread, 
Eternal  sunshine  settles  on  its  head." 


84  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

With  a  few  additional  remarks  I  shall  close  this 
article. 

1.  General  Jackson,  in  theology,  was  a  decided  and 
thorough  Calvinist.  That  sublime  system  of  divinity, 
so  clearly  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  so  accu 
rately  epitomized  in  the  Shorter  Catechism  of  the 
Westminster  Assembly,  was  the  joy  and  the  rejoicing 
of  his  heart.  His  ordinary  conversation  abounded 
with  references  to  the  hand  and  counsel  of  God. 
When  rehearsing  facts  that  had  occurred  in  his  military 
or  political  life,  he  would  repeatedly  pause  and  say,  "  It 
was  the  hand  of  God."  "  Divine  Providence  ordered 
it  so."  "  Such  an  officer  was  cut  down ;  he  was  a 
noble  man.  I  felt  his  loss  much,  but  it  was  the 
hand  and  counsel  of  God."  This  continual  reference 
to  divine  Providence,  in  all  the  events  of  life,  was  a 
strongly-marked  feature  of  his  conversation.  I  must 
here  give  an  anecdote.  An  able  jurist,  bom  and  edu 
cated  at  the  east,  had  emigrated  to  the  west ;  and,  by 
diligence  and  fidelity  in  his  profession,  he  had  become 
prosperous  and  popular.  He  was  now  a  candidate  for 
an  important  office,  in  a  district  where  the  popularity 
of  General  Jackson  was  absolutely  overwhelming.  It 
was  well  known  that  the  candidate,  whose  friendship 
for  Jackson  was  in  the  subjunctive  mood,  would  most 
certainly  be  elected  "to  stay  at  home."  It  was  indis 
pensable  to  success  that  the  voters  should  know  before 
the  election  that  the  candidate  was  the  friend  and 
admirer  of  Jackson.  Our  jurist  was  very  hostile  to  the 
doctrines  of  Calvinism.  Indeed,  I  fear  his  hostility 
went  further  ;  for  I  had  been  told  how  he  worried 
some  young  preachers,  with  sceptical  objections  to  the 
Bible.  I  was  thrown  into  his  society  not  long  before 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GEN.    JACKSON.          85 

the  election  day.  After  a  few  moments'  conversation, 
said  he,  "  Calvinism  degrades  the  human  mind.  I  say, 
it  degrades  the  human  mind !  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  was  my  reply  —  "yes,  sir,  Calvinism 
degraded  your  New  England  man  Jonathan  Edwards, 
as  all  Europe  and  all  America  confess,  into  the  most 
distinguished  theological  writer  who  has  ever  put 
pen  to  paper  in  the  English  language.  Both  hemi 
spheres  maintain  that  Jonathan  Edwards  is  unequalled 
among  English  theological  writers.  How  Calvinism 
degraded  him  !  Again,  Calvinism  has  degraded  Gen 
eral  Jackson,  as  you  maintain  in  all  your  public 
addresses,  throughout  your  electioneering  canvass,  into 
the  most  eminent  military  and  political  man  which  the 
world  has  produced  in  the  present  age.  How  degrad 
ing  is  the  influence  of  Calvinism  !  " 

2.  General  Jackson,  in  his  intercourse  with  his 
neighbors  and  with  society,  was  "  the  good  man  "  and 
the  perfect  gentleman.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  heated 
politicians  and  crazy  fanatics  should  be  so  successful  in 
misrepresenting  men  and  things,  as  to  keep  worthy 
citizens  in  one  section  of  our  country  under  injurious 
mistakes  relative  to  their  fellow-citizens  in  another 
section.  Christianity,  common  sense,  love  to  God,  and 
benevolence  to  man,  are  the  same,  east  and  west,  go 
where  you  will,  throughout  our  great  country. 

A  few  years  ago,  I  had  the  privilege  of  sitting  for  a 
number  of  successive  days  in  the  senate  chamber  at 
Washington.  I  looked  on  Webster  from  Massachusetts, 
Wright  from  New  York,  Calhoun  from  South  Car 
olina,  Burges  from  Rhode  Island,  Preston,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  Clay  from  Kentucky,  Judge  White  from 
Tennessee,  and  all  their  fellow-senators;  and  I  said, 
8 


86  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  Be  you  Whigs  or  be  you  Democrats,  be  you  from  the 
east  or  from  the  west,  from  the  north  or  from  the  south, 
any  country  on  earth  might  be  proud  to  call  you  her 
citizens.  And  I  will  rejoice  that  the  beloved  land 
where  I  was  born,  nurses  in  her  bosom  such  a  body 
of  men." 

3.  Let  me  close  with  repeating,  that  General  Jack 
son,  from  early  life,  was  characterized  by  reverence  for 
sacred  things.  He  spoke  reverently  of  the  word  of 
God,  the  house  of  God,  the  ordinances  of  God.  He 
honored  God  in  word.  And  God  blessed  him  while  he 
lived,  and  blessed  him  when  he  died. 


THE  EAGLE  AND  THE  GNAT.        87 


THE  EAGLE  AND  THE  GNAT. 


THE  following  article  was  prepared  for  a  highly  prac 
tical  purpose.  In  the  region  where  the  author  lived, 
that  scriptural  and  sublime  system  of  Christian  doc 
trine,  denominated  "  Calvinism,"  was  most  bitterly 
assailed,  and  that  too,  in  many  instances,  by  persons 
who  had  taken  no  pains  to  have  their  minds  expanded 
by  searching  the  word  of  God.  There  is  a  curious 
fact  here.  The  man  who  has  never  looked  into  a  law 
book,  knows  that  he  is  ignorant  of  law.  The  man 
who  has  never  read  a  medical  work,  knows  that  he  is 
ignorant  of  medicine.  But  the  man  who  has  neglected 
to  read  the  Bible,  is  not  equally  conscious  of  his  igno 
rance  on  divine  subjects.  Tell  that  man  of  the  "sov 
ereignty  of  God,"  the  "  doctrine  of  election,"  or  any 
kindred  doctrine,  and  his  heart  will  rebel  against  it  at 
once.  And  he  will  be  "  wiser  in  his  own  conceit  than 
seven  men  that  can  render  a  reason."  The  fact  is, 
men  are  born  with  hearts  opposed  to  the  sovereignty  of 
God,  and  the  system  of  doctrine  that  maintains  it.  In 
this  controversy,  the  depraved  heart  decides,  and  not 
the  understanding.  Now,  when  I  have  encountered 
persons  who  were  eager  for  argument,  while  they  evi 
dently  "  loved  darkness  "  and  "  hated  the  light,"  — 
persons  who  would  "  glory  in  their  shame,"  while  they 
were  "  willingly  ignorant "  of  God's  word  and  the 


88  THE    WESTERN     SKETCH-BOOK. 

sublime  system  of  eternal  truth  unfolded  there,  —  I  have 
sometimes  rehearsed  to  them  the  story  of  "  The  Eagle 
and  the  Gnat;"  and  the  result,  generally,  if  it  has  not 
been  conviction,  has  certainly  been  silence. 

The  reader,  if  he  chooses,  may  consider  the  ensuing 
story  as  an  extract  from  "  The  Book  of  Nathan  the 
Prophet,"  mentioned  2  Chron.  ix.  29,  detailing  "  the 
acts  of  Solomon  first  and  last."  A  very  valuable  vol 
ume,  containing  an  authentic  and  instructive  history 
of  the  times,  but  not  being  divinely  inspired,  it  has 
been  lost  amid  "  the  war  of  elements  and  the  wreck 
of  matter,"  which  have  intervened  between  the  age 
Solomon  and  the  present  day.  The  following  extract 
alone  has  come  down  to  our  time  —  a  mere  fragment, 
still  floating  on  the  waves,  the  only  remaining  memo 
rial  of  the  noble  vessel  that  has  perished  forever. 

EXTRACT  FROM  THE  BOOK  OF  NATHAN  THE  PROPHET. 

"  When  Solomon  had  completed  that  greatest  work 
of  his  life,  the  building  of  the  temple  of  God,  on  Mount 
Moriah,  it  excited  much  interest  through  a  wide  extent 
of  country.  Persons  who  had  a  highly  cultivated  taste 
for  architecture  —  those  who  were  fond  of  beholding 
fine  specimens  of  the  building  art  —  came  from  far,  and 
feasted  their  eyes  on  this  beautiful  house.  And  while 
they  gazed,  they  spoke  one  to  another  of  the  immense 
blocks  of  white  marble  that  appeared  in  the  wall,  the 
tall  pillars  that  rose  in  front  of  the  building,  the  symme 
try  and  the  splendor  of  Solomon's  Porch,  and,  indeed, 
the  grandeur,  the  consummate  proportions,  and  the  un 
paralleled  perfection  of  the  entire  edifice. 

"But  the  fame  of  this  wonderful  house  not  only 


THE  EAGLE  AND  THE  GNAT.        89 

spread  among  the  children  of  men  into  distant  lands, 
—  it  attracted  also  the  admiring  gaze  of  other  orders  of 
creation,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  narrative. 

"  A  broad-winged  eagle,  a  mighty  prince  among  the 
feathered  nations,  had  taken  an  extensive  excursion 
through  the  regions  of  the  air,  and  chanced,  in  his 
flight,  to  pass  over  the  Mountains  of  Judea.  Turning 
his  eye  to  survey  the  city  of  the  great  king,  he  beheld 
the  newly  erected  temple,  adorning  the  topmost  height 
of  the  Hill  of  David.  Captivated  with  the  surpassing 
beauty  of  the  building,  he  at  once  paused  in  his  rapid 
flight,  steadied  and  balanced  himself  on  his  wide 
spread  wings*,  and  resolved  to  take  a  full  and  satisfac 
tory  survey  of  this  majestic  temple.  That  part  of  the 
building  which  fronted  the  south  was  now  directly 
before  him,  and  the  clear,  comprehensive  eye  of  the 
delighted  eagle  could  take  in  the  whole  structure  '  from 
turret  to  foundation  stone.'  The  grandeur  of  its  noble 
outline,  the  perfect  proportion  and  exquisite  finish  of 
each  and  every  part,  together  with  the  matchless  sym 
metry  of  the  whole,  excited  the  highest  admiration.  .  He 
then  moved  slowly  round  to  the  east,  and  then  paused 
a  while  and  viewed  the  temple  from  thence.  He  then 
viewed  it  from  the  north,  and  then  again  from  the 
west.  Having  at  length  feasted  his  eye  with  a  survey 
of  the  temple  on  every  side,  the  monarch  of  birds 
resumed  his  lofty  flight,  and  while  indulging  in  vast, 
exalted  conceptions  of  the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  the 
projector  and  the  builder  of  this  marvellous  house,  he 
directed  his  course  to  the  summit  of  the  tallest  cliff  of 
Mount  Carmel. 

"  No  sooner  had  he  arrived  there,  than  the  birds, 
ever  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  cheer  and  honor  their 


90  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK.      . 

king,  began  to  cluster  in  musical  circles  around  him. 
Bat  the  eagle  appeared  reserved,  thoughtful,  and 
wrapped  up  in  the  meditations  of  his  own  mind.  But 
as  the  smaller  birds,  who  were  very  anxious,  and  indeed 
impatient,  to  receive  his  notice,  kept  perpetually 

Giggling,  ogling,  bridling, 
Turning  short  round  and  sidling, 

the  eagle  at  length,  with  mingled  gravity  and  affec 
tion,  addressed  them  thus  :  — 

"  l  My  children,  think  it  not  strange,  that,  since  my 
return,  I  have  been  less  prompt  than  usual  to  sympa 
thize  with  you  in  your  amusements  and  your  joys.  I 
have  just  returned  from  beholding  a  spectacle  that  has 
strangely  engrossed  all  my  thoughts,  and  in  the  con 
templation  of  which  I  have  experienced,  in  an  unusual 
measure,  astonishment  and  delight.  I  allude  to  the 
splendid,  majestic  temple,  which  the  wise  king  of  Israel 
has  just  completed  on  the  Mountain  of  Moriah,  to  the 
honor  of  the  name  of  the  great  God.  I  have  travelled 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  Egypt,  acknowl 
edged  among  all  the  nations  as  the  "  cradle  of  the  arts." 
I  have  seen  her  towers,  her  temples,  and  her  pyramids. 
I  have  visited  also  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  now  at  the 
zenith  of  their  glory  ;  I  have  beheld  their  cloud-capped 
towers  and  gorgeous  palaces.  Yet  nothing  erected  by 
the  hand  of  man  has  ever  come  before  my  eye  that 
will  compare,  in  perfection  of  beauty,  with  the  temple 
which  King  Solomon  has  built  at  Jerusalem  for  the 
worship  of  the  God  of  his  father.' 

"  The  eagle  ceased.  There  was  something  in  his 
tone  and  manner  that  effectually  silenced,  for  the  time, 
the  throng  of  feathered  warblers  by  whom  he  was  sur 
rounded. 


THE  EAGLE  AND  THE  GNAT.        91 

"  A  great  oak  was  standing  near,  and  in  the  rough 
bark  which  formed  its  outer  covering  was  sticking  a 
small  snail-shell.  The  original  inhabitant  had  left  it 
fastened  by  a  little  slime  to  the  bark  of  the  oak.  It 
was  empty,  smooth,  transparent,  and  exceedingly  small. 
A  little  gnat,  distressingly  inflated  with  self-conceit,  had 
found  this  untenanted  mansion,  and,  in  the  vagaries  of 
his  diminutive  mind,  had  determined  to  pitch  upon  the 
deserted  snail-shell  for  his  own  habitation.  He  ad 
mired  its  glassy  smoothness,  its  twirling  fashion,  and  its 
many  adaptations  to  his  convenience  and  comfort ;  and, 
when  snugly  housed  there,  he  regarded  himself  as  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  important  citizens  that  could 
be  found  in  all  the  lofty  ranges  of  Mount  Carmel. 
This  little  gnat,  puffed  up  with  inordinate  self-esteem 
and  vain  glory,  was  sitting  near  the  entrance  of  his 
cell,  and  heard  the  description  given  by  the  eagle 
of  the  magnificent  temple  of  Solomon.  Having  un 
bounded  confidence  in  his  own  superior  capacity  as  a 
judge  of  architecture,  while  he  entertained  serious 
doubts  as  to  the  capacity  of  the  eagle,  he  at  once 
determined  to  go  to  Mount  Moriah,  and  examine  the 
building  for  himself.  Having  made  every  necessary 
arrangement,  he  set  off  on  his  momentous  mission,  sing 
ing  along  as  his  little  wings  fanned  the  air.  And 
although  neither  bird  nor  beast  took  any  notice  of  his 
movements,  or  had  the  slightest  idea  that  he  was  gone, 
yet  such  were  his  vast  conceptions  of  his  own  dignity 
and  weight  in  the  community  at  large,  that  he  doubted 
not  but  that  his  departure  on  this  journey  would  be 
chronicled  among  the  memorable  events  in  the  history 
of  the  hill  country. 

"  After  a  most  fatiguing  flight,  the  little  gnat,  dilated 


92  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

with  immense  imaginations  concerning  his  great  critical 
powers,  arrived  at  the  far-famed  temple.  But,  alas! 
when  he  attempted  to  scan  and  survey  the  mighty 
structure,  his  little  eye  had  no  capacity  to  perform  the 
task.  The  vast  building  rose  before  him  in  its  length, 
its  breadth,  its  height,  and  all  its  majestic  proportions, 
while  the  diminutive  gnat,  so  contracted  were  his 
organs  of  vision,  could  only  view  a  single  point  of  the 
stupendous  edifice.  Undaunted,  however,  and  swollen 
with  self-esteem,  he  set  forward  in  his  work  of  exam 
ination. 

11  i  What  huge,  misshapen  mass  is  this  ? '  exclaimed 
the  indignant  gnat,  as  he  crawled  over  an  immense 
block  of  white  marble,  in  the  west  wall  of  the  temple, 
on  which  the  eagle,  a  little  before,  had  gazed  with 
astonishment  and  delight.  '  It  must  be  entirely  out 
of  proportion.  One  cannot  find  its  termination  in  any 
direction.  What  a  shapeless,  unwieldy  mass  it  must 
be ! '  Then  moving  on  a  little  farther,  he  encountered 
a  pimple  near  the  size  of  a  pin's  head  :  this,  of  course, 
had  been  unnoticed  in  the  comprehensive  survey  of  the 
eagle.  But  here  the  agitated  gnat  started  back  with  a 
gesture  of  horror.  .  i  Most  uncouth  irregularity  !  The 
back  of  my  hand  to  the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  and  his 
masonry,  too,  if  this  is  a  specimen  of  his  proficiency  in 
the  art  of  building  ! '  A  little  farther  on,  and  he  found 
a  joint  where  two  great  blocks  of  marble  came  together : 
a  very  fine  hair  could  not  have  entered  the  crack ;  but 
to  the  tiny  eye  of  the  puffed-up  gnat  it  seemed  a 
mighty  opening.  ( Heyday  ! '  he  exclaimed  ;  '  what 
a  frightful  chasm  is  here  !  yawning  caverns  !  yawning 
caverns  !  '  Thus  the  conceited  and  self-important 
gnat  went  on,  discerning  none  of  the  higher  beauties 


THE  EAGLE  AND  THE  GNAT.        93 

of  the  temple,  because  of  his  total  incapacity  to  take 
an  enlarged  view,  but  stumbling  on  numberless  objec 
tions,  the  existence  of  which  were  entirely  owing  to 
the  pitiful  contraction  of  his  own  powers  of  vision. 
Presently  he  declared  '  that  his  taste  was  outraged  and 
his  patience  exhausted ;  that  the  whole  building  was 
unworthy  of  criticism ;  and  that  he  should  leave  it  in 
disgust.' 

"  On  his  return  to  Mount  Carmel,  he  alleged  posi 
tively,  that  the  statements  of  the  eagle  were  false  and 
deceptive ;  that  he  himself  had  given  the  whole 
matter  a  thorough  examination,  in  the  conducting  of 
which  he  had  drawn  extensively  on  the  resources  of 
his  intellect  and  the  treasures  of  his  learning,  and  that 
the  grand  results  of  his  investigation  were  the  fol 
lowing  :  — 

"  1.  That  fame,  which  has  gone  forth  into  all  lands, 
pronouncing  the  temple  an  unparalleled  building,  is  a 
liar. 

"  2.  That  the  claim  of  Solomon,  and  his  coadjutors, 
Hiram  the  widow's  son,  and  Hiram  king  of  Tyre,  to 
be  regarded  as  great  master  builders,  is  all  humbug. 

"  3.  That  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  and  her  very  great 
train,  '  with  camels  that  bore  spices,  and  very  much 
gold,  and  precious  stones,'  came  from  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  on  a  fool's  errand. 

"  4.  And  finally,  that  the  little,  glassy  snail-shell,  in 
which  he,  the  selfsame  illustrious  and  memorable  gnat, 
had  taken  up  his  abode,  is  a  structure  incomparably 
superior  to  the  far-famed,  consecrated  house,  which 
Israel's  king  had  built  on  the  Mountain  of  Moriah." 


94  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


ELIJAH  AND  THE  CARMELITE; 

OR, 

THE    EVILS    OF    RAIN. 


THE  following  article  was  written  and  published  in  the 
year  1835.  It  first  appeared  in  "  The  Cincinnati  Jour 
nal  and  Luminary,"  then  edited  by  Rev.  Thomas 
Brainard,  now  pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church, 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  The  history  of  its  origin  is 
the  following :  From  the  year  1825  till  the  year  1832, 
the  God  of  grace  had  blessed  portions  of  his  church  in 
the  United  States  with  precious  revivals  of  religion  : 
perhaps  from  '28  till  '31,  they  were  most  extensive  and 
powerful.  Near  this  latter  date,  "  Letters  on  Revivals  " 
were  published,  in  which  "  cautions,"  "indiscretions," 
and  "  evils,"  were  marvellously  conspicuous.  If  any 
thing  was  said  in  favor  of  revivals,  it  seemed  to  be 
only  in  order  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  doleful  enumer 
ation  of  "  excesses,"  "extravagances,"  "mischievous 
disorders,"  of  which  the  venerable  brother  doubtless 
had  either  heard  or  dreamed.  Now,  the  church  is  suffi 
ciently  prone  to  "  leave  her  first  love,"  and  become 
cold  and  dull  in  the  cause  of  God ;  but  when  this  sad 
tendency  is  aided  and  aggravated  by  letters  or  lectures 
from  respectable  ministers,  the  results  are  distressing. 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  95 

Alas  for  a  drowsy  church,  when  subjected  to  an  undi 
luted  dispensation  of  the  nightmare  ! 

Most  of  us  can  remember,  when  we  were  children, 
how  close  we  would  cluster  around  a  kitchen  fire, 
while  a  superstitious  old  nurse  told  her  favorite  ghost 
stories —  "rawhead  and  bloody  bones ;  "  "sheeted  spec 
tres,  taller  than  life,  walking  by  moonlight  through  the 
lonesome  graveyard  ;  "  "  murdered  men,  seen  at  mid 
night,  moving  in  solemn  procession,  each  one  carrying 
his  head  under  his  arm,"  &c.,  &c.  I  have  seen  chil 
dren  shuddering  while  they  listened  to  such  stories, 
until  each  one  was  afraid  to  look  over  his  shoulder, 
and  yet  more  afraid  to  go  into  a  distant  room  to  bed. 
And,  after  all,  the  poor  old  superstitious  granny  had 
never  seen  a  ghost  in  all  her  life.  Now,  in  like  man 
ner,  —  if  small  things  may  be  employed  to  illustrate 
things  that  are  great,  —  I  have  seen  the  church  terrified 
with  "  ghost  stories "  about  revivals,  until  she  was 
almost  afraid  to  move  in  any  good  enterprise ;  and  the 
narrator  in  the  latter  case  had  seen  just  about  as  many 
"  spectres  "  as  in  the  former. 

That  man  whose  ministry  God  has  never  honored 
with  revivals,  may  be  a  useful  and  important  man  in 
the  church.  He  may  render  services  that  are  valuable 
in  other  departments  of  ministerial  effort.  But  he 
should  publish  neither  "  letters  "  nor  "  lectures  "  on 
revivals ;  because  that,  in  this  as  in  other  matters, 
experience  teaches  many  things,  of  which  the  inexperi 
enced  are  necessarily  ignorant. 

I  cannot  set  this  subject  in  a  stronger  light  than  by 
giving  the  following  anecdote  of  Dr.  Nelson :  He  had 
been  laboring  in  the  west,  with  great  earnestness,  to 
convert  men  to  God.  He  would  select  a  solemn 


96  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

passage  of  Scripture,  and  prepare  a  sermon,  and  then 
go  and  preach  that  sermon,  expecting,  through  the  pres 
ence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  convert  sinners 
to  God,  as  certainly  as  the  strong  axe-man  who  goes  to 
work  with  a  sharp  axe,  and  is  conscious  of  his  depend 
ence  on  God,  expects  to  cut  down  the  forest-trees.  In 
the  midst  of  these  arduous  and  delightful  labors,  Nelson 
was  grieved  to  see  a  series  of  "letters  on  revivals," 
issuing  from  the  study  of  a  professor  who  had  long 
been  mewed  up  in  the  seclusion  of  a  seminary.  The 
author  was  a  worthy  man,  qualified  to  give  instructions 
on  a  subject  which  he  understood,  but  an  entire 
stranger  to  revivals  of  religion,  so  far  as  his  own  min 
istry  was  concerned,  and  likely  to  remain  so ;  while, 
in  the  kingdom  of  God's  grace,  appropriate  causes  are 
necessary  in  order  to  produce  certain  effects. 

But  the  "letters  on  revivals!"  Lackaday!  They 
abounded  in  proof  of  the  position  of  John  Bunyan, 
that  the  old  prince  of  darkness,  in  warring  against  man's 
soul,  surrounded  the  town  with  an  army  of  twenty  thou 
sand  "  doubters  "  !  And  they  doubted  at  ear  gate,  and 
doubted  at  eye  gate,  and  doubted  at  every  gate,  till 
finally  they  doubted  the  gates  open,  and  doubted  the 
whole  town  into  the  possession  of  the  great  adversary 
of  God  and  man. 

Dr.  Nelson's  heart  was  filled  with  sorrow  that  such 
disastrous  influences  should  emanate  from  such  a  quar 
ter.  But  what  can  a  plain,  western  man  do,  when  a  cold, 
blighting  stream  of  "  east  wind  "  comes  sweeping  over 
the  garden  of  the  Lord,  chilling  and  nipping  the  tender 
plants,  and  freezing  all  before  it  ?  Alas  for  the 
churches  in  the  west,  when  "  the  star  in  the  east "  is 
overspread  with  mist  and  darkness ! 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  97 

Such  was  the  attitude  of  things  when  Nelson  made 
a  visit  to  the  east.  He  was  walking  along  a  street  in 
one  of  the  principal  cities,  when  he  discovered  an 
extensive  bookstore.  At  one  side  of  the  door,  on  a 
broad  sheet,  was  an  advertisement  in  large  letters, 

"  Dr.    on    Revivals,    for   sale    here."      At    the 

other  side   of  the  door  hung  a  similar  advertisement, 

"  Dr.    on    Revivals,   for    sale    here."      Nelson 

paused,  surveyed  the  broad  sheets  for  a  moment,  then 
stepped  into  the  store,  and,  addressing  the  bookseller, 
said,  "  Have  you  got  here  the  Treatise  of  the  Emperor 
Nicholas  of  Russia  on  the  proper  method  of  cultivating 
Cotton  and  Sugar-Cane  ?  " 

"  Why  n-no,"  said  the  bookseller,  drawling  out  the 
answer ;  "  we  have  not  got  it,  and  I  should  think  that 
Nicholas,  out  in  the  far  north,  among  the  snows  of 
Russia,  would  be  likely  to  know  very  little  on  the 
subject,  as,  most  certainly,  he  has  never  seen  a  plant 
of  either  cotton  or  sugar-cane." 

"  Well,"  continued  Nelson,  "  have  you  got  the 
Dissertation  of  President  Boyer  of  Hayti  on  the  Proper 
Method  of  building  Ice-Houses  ?  "  "  No,"  replied  the 
bookseller  ;  "  and  there  again,  I  should  think  that  Boyer, 
in  the  West  Indies,  having  never  seen  ice,  would  be  a 
most  unsuitable  person  to  attempt  to  write  a  disserta 
tion  on  the  subject." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Nelson,  turning  towards  the  door,  "  I 

see  that  you  have  "  Dr. on  Revivals,"  and  I  did 

not  know  but  that  you  might  have  those  other  works. 
Good  morning,  sir." 

The  reader  now  will  readily  understand  the  position 
of  things  in  the  church,  which  called  forth  the  dialogue 
between  •"  Elijah  and  the  Carmelite."     The  article  has 
9 


98  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

gone  through  many   newspaper   editions.     It  is  now 
presented  to  the  public  in  a  permanent  form. 

The  reader  will  perceive  that  the  great  drought,  in 
Elijah's  day,  most  probably  took  place  long  after  the 
close  of  the  earthly  pilgrimage  of  "Iddo  the  seer." 
But  if  the  prophet  Daniel  saw,  in  vision,  the  great 
contest  between  the  Persian  Ram  and  the  rough  Mace 
donian  Goat,  which  occurred  ages  after  the  good 
prophet  had  slept  with  his  fathers,  who  will  object  to  a 
similar  privilege  being  granted  to  the  author  of  "  The 
Visions  of  Iddo  "  ?  This  article,  at  its  first  publication, 
was  introduced  by  the  following  note  :  — 

"  Brother  Brainerd,  — 

"  Many  of  our  wise  and  worthy  men  have  labored 
much  to  put  our  church  on  her  guard  against  the  evils 
that  have  attended  revivals  of  religion  j  and  many  of 
our  talented  and  substantial  ministers  have  become  so 
watchful  and  prudent  in  guarding  against  these  evils, 
that  in  large  sections  of  the  church,  revivals  have 
ceased  altogether.  Now,  I  am  not  going  to  debate 
with  those  who  act  on  the  principle,  that  the  best  way 
to  guard  against  going  wrong,  is  not  to  move  at  all,  and 
that  the  surest  mark  of  being  sound  in  the  faith,  is  to 
be  sound  asleep.  But  I  think  it  would  be  well  for  the 
friends  of  revivals  —  and  those  writers  are  careful  to  tell 
us  they  are  such  —  to  take  some  pains  to  count  over  the 
blessings,  as  well  as  the  evils,  that  attend  them.  I  think 
also  that  good  might  be  done  if  some  of  the  fathers 
would  write  a  series  of  letters  on  the  evils  of  universal 
stupidity  and  spiritual  death  in  the  church  of  the 
living  God. 

"  The  following  article  your  readers  may,  if  they 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  99 

choose,  regard  as  an  extract  from  the  book  of  l  The 
Visions  of  Iddo  the  Seer.'  It  is  not  long  since  we 
had  from  the  east  the  announcement  that  the  long-lost 
book  of  Jasher  has  been  founct  Now,  if  we  in  the 
west  have  recovered  from  oblivion  the  book  of  the 
Visions  of  Iddo,  it  is  but  another  proof  of  the  progress 
of  discovery  and  improvement  of  the  present  age. 

J.  G. 

EXTRACT   FROM   THE  BOOK   OF    "THE   VISIONS    OF   IDDO 
THE  SEER." 

"  The  sins  of  Israel  had  found  them  out.  The  terri 
ble  scourge  foretold  by  Moses  was  upon  them  — i  Thy 
heaven  that  is  over  thy  head  shall  be  brass,  and  the 
earth  that  is  under  thee  shall  be  iron.  The  Lord  shall 
make  the  rain  of  thy  land  powder  and  dust.'  The 
brooks  were  dried  up,  and  the  streams  of  the  rivers  had 
failed :  for  three  years  and  six  months  there  had  been 
no  rain  upon  the  earth.  The  fowls  of  heaven  and  the 
flocks  and  herds  of  the  field  were  crowding,  in  meagre 
and  famishing  multitudes,  along  the  dry  channel,  in 
search  of  water,  or,  panting  and  reeling  over  the  dusty 
plain,  were  dying  under  the  action  of  intolerable  thirst. 
In  the  city,  the  moan  of  the  starving  mother  was  an 
swered  by  the  scream  of  starving  children :  there  was 
no  water,  there  was  no  bread.  The  green  earth  was 
faded ;  the  flowers  were  withered  and  gone.  The 
fields,  once  beautiful  with  rising  corn,  now  appeared 
scorched  and  desolate  ;  and  even  the  tall  forest  trees,  on 
the  sides  and  summit  of  Mount  Carmel,  stood  leafless 
and  dreary,  as  the  prophet  of  God  went  up  from  the 
place  of  sacrifice  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  to  pray 
for  rain.  He  cast  himself  down  upon  the  earth,  and 


100  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

cried  to  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  to  have  mercy  on  his 
people, 'arid  send  them  the  showers  of  heaven,  that  they 
might  live  and  not  die.  He  felt  deeply  for  those  that 
were  perishing.  He  knew  that  none  but  God  could 
help,  and  he  prayed  with  that  earnestness  and  importu 
nity  that  takes  no  denial. 

"  While  Elijah  was  thus  engaged,  he  was  approached 
by  one  who  had  long  dwelt  in  a  cave  in  the  side  of 
Mount  Carmel.  He  was  a  tall,  lean,  hard-featured  figure, 
whose  visage  was  strongly  marked  with  expressions 
of  fretfulness  and  fault-finding  —  one  of  those  '  mur- 
murers  and  complainers  '  who  habitually  overlook  the 
good  in  the  kingdom  of  nature  and  the  kingdom  of 
grace,  and  fix  their  minds  only  on  what  they  consider 
the  evils.  Inefficient  and  worthless  himself,  as  to  any 
useful  enterprise,  the  labors  of  his  life  had  been  to 
decry  and  hinder  the  usefulness  of  others.  He  had 
evidently  been  a  sufferer  during  the  long  and  destruc 
tive  famine,  for  he  appeared  shrivelled  and  shrunken 
in  both  soul  and  body  ;  but  his  sufferings  had  not  pro 
duced  in  his  heart  self-abasement  toward  God,  nor  had 
they  awakened  emotions  of  kindness  and  compassion 
for  wretched,  dying  men.  As  Elijah  now  paused  in 
his  prayer,  and  bade  his  servant  i  go  up  to  a  lofty  peak 
of  the  mountain,  that  rose  to  a  great  height,  and  look 
to  wards  the  sea,'  if  there  were  any  evidences  of  a  cloud 
rising,  he  was  thus  addressed  by  the  old  Carmelite  :  — 

"  '  Prophet  of  God,  I  find  you  are  praying  earnestly 
for  rain.  Now,  I  am  &  friend  of  rain.  I  approve  of  rain  ; 
that  is,  when  rain  comes  as  it  ought  to  come,  and  as  it 
might  come.  But  I  have  known  many  sore  evils  con 
nected  with  rain  in  this  country;  yes,  evils  at  the 
very  thought  of  which  my  heart  is  in  agony.  And 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  101 

you,  prophet,  should  be  very  cautious  and  prudent  how 
you  pray  for  rain,  lest  these  distressing  evils  should 
again  befall  us.' 

"  Elijah.  The  evils  of  rain  !  certainly  your  fears 
have  taken  a  strange  direction  ;  you  had  better  be  dep 
recating  the  evils  of  drought.  Don't  you  see  how  the 
earth  is  scorched  with  intense  heat  ?  Every  green 
thing  is  burned  up,  the  animals  dead  and  dying,  while 
Famine  is  stalking,  ghastly  and  grim,  from  house  to 
house,  and  from  city  to  city.  Nothing  but  the  mercy 
of  God,  speedily  granting  the  showers  of  heaven,  can 
arrest  the  desolation,  and  prevent  the  universal  extinction 
of  life ;  and  yet  you  are  harrowing  up  your  mind  with 
horrible  apprehensions  of  the  evils  of  rain. 

11  Here  Elijah  turned  away  from  the  old  man  in 
anguish  of  spirit,  and  threw  himself  prostrate  before 
the  Lord ;  and  his  urgent  prayer  that  the  awful  judg 
ment  might  be  turned  away  from  Israel  was  continued, 
till  his  servant  came  back  from  looking  towards  the  sea, 
and  said,  '  There  is  nothing.'  'Go  again,'  said  Elijah. 
The  servant  went,  and  the  old  Carmelite  resumed  his 
discourse. 

"  '  Prophet  of  God,  I  wish  you  to  understand  me.  I 
am  decidedly  in  favor  of  rain.  I  think  highly  of  it.  In 
fact,  I  wish  we  might  have  more  rain  than  we  have  j 
that  is,  rain  of  the  right  kind ;  such,  for  example,  as 
they  had  in  the  good  old  days  of  our  fathers,  when 
rains  were  of  a  much  better  description  than  they  have 
been  of  late.  Indeed,  in  the  early  part  of  my  own  life 
time,  I  have  seen  rains  that  were  far  preferable  to  the 
rains  we  have  had  during  the  last  fifteen  or  twenty 
years.  And,  prophet,  this  is  a  subject  on  which  I  have 
a  right  to  be  heard,  for  I  have  been  persecuted  by  the 
9* 


102  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

people  of  the  land.  While  I  have  been  warning  them 
against  the  evils  of  rain,  they  have  taken  up  an  opinion 
that  I  am  opposed  to  rain  altogether.  This  I  consider 
downright  persecution.' 

"  Elijah.  Warning  them  against  the  evils  of  rain  ! 
Surely  you  have  not  been  thus  engaged  during  the  last 
three  years  and  six  months. 

"  Carmelite.  Surely  I  have.  Why,  prophet,  there 
were  so  many  deploring  the  prevalence  of  drought,  and 
expressing  anxiety  for  rain,  that  I  saw  there  was  danger 
of  their  not  being  sufficiently  cautious  and  prudent ; 
and  while  I  heartily  approve  of  genuine  rains,  — those,  I 
mean,  that  are  under  proper  regulations,  and  rightly 
conducted,  —  I  wish  to  put  the  people  on  their  guard 
against  rains  that  are  spurious,  and  do  more  harm  than 
good.  I  have  turned  my  attention,  therefore,  with 
particular  interest,  to  the  evils  with  which  the  rains  in 
Israel  for  some  years  back  have  been  attended. 

"  Elijah.  Well,  you  are  a  curiosity,  beyond  a  doubt. 
There  has  not  been  a  single  drop  of  rain  in  all  the  land 
for  three  years  and  six  months ;  we  are  wading  to  the 
knees  in  dust,  starving  for  water  and  for  bread,  and  the 
awful  drought  threatens  to  make  the  whole  land  a 
desolation  ;  and  yet  you  are  fuming  and  fretting,  and 
raving  round  the  country,  warning  the  population  to 
guard  against  the  evils  of  rain.  You  strongly  remind 
me  of  an  absurdity  that  I  have  often  seen  among  a 
certain  class  of  prophets,  who  have  greatly  troubled 
Israel.  I  have  seen  one  of  these  prophets  go  to  a  peo 
ple  that  were  sunk  in  stupidity  and  spiritual  death,  and 
preach  and  expatiate  on  the  evils  of  excitement.  There 
is  great  absurdity  in  warning  a  people  who  are  be 
numbed  and  torpid,  and  three  fourths  dead,  against  the 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  103 

dangers  of  excitement.  I  felt  constrained  to  rebuke 
one  of  these  but  a  day  or  two  since.  His  people  were 
as  cold  as  the  cliffs  of  Mount  Carmel.  He  was  declaim 
ing  on  the  l  evils  of  excitement ! '  Said  I,  '  Infatuated 
man !  do  you  not  see  that  your  people  are  chilled  to 
the  heart,  by  your  freezing  ministry  ?  Both  you  and 
they  are  colder  than  the  clods  of  the  valley  :  why, 
then,  declaim  against  excitement  ?  There  is  no  danger 
from  that  quarter  while  you  are  their  instructor.  You 
had  far  better  exert  yourself  to  warn  them  against 
being  spiritually  frost-bitten  !  There  is  the  real  danger  ! ' 

"  Carmelite.  Prophet,  I  wish  you  to  understand  me. 
Uh  !  uh!  (coughing.)  I  have  been  lecturing  —  uh  ! 
uh  !  —  lecturing  and  laboring  —  uh  !  uh  !  uh  !  —  amidst 
trials  and  difficulties —  uh  !  uh  !  — almost  choked  with 
the  dust  —  uh  !  uh  !  uh  !  —  that  seems  to  be  flying 
in  all  directions  —  uh  !  uh  !  uh  !  —  trying  to  impress 
the  people  with  a  sense  of  the  vast  importance  of  guard 
ing  against  the  "  evils  of  rain." 

"  Elijah.  Yes,  the  whole  atmosphere  is  burdened, 
almost  to  groaning,  with  dense  clouds  of  dust,  produced 
by  this  dreadful  drought ;  and  you  yourself  are  choked 
to  the  very  verge  of  suffocation ;  and  moreover  you  are 
withered,  shrivelled,  and  shrunken  into  the  likeness  of 
a  mere  skeleton,  by  that  frightful  monster  famine,  that 
is  scattering  desolation  round  the  land ;  and  yet  such 
is  the  wretched  perversion  of  your  mind,  that  instead 
of  realizing  the  true  cause  of  all  this  distress,  you  are 
boggling  and  boisterous  about  the  'evils  of  rain.' 

"  '  Wonderful  infatuation  !  Carmelite,  interrupt  me 
no  more.'  So  saying,  he  turned  and  addressed  his  cry 
to  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  that  he 
would  remember  his  covenant,  and  have  mercy  on  his 


104  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

people.  Here  his  servant  returned  the  second  time 
from  looking  toward  the  sea,  and  said,  '  There  is  noth 
ing.'  '  Go  again,'  said  Elijah,  and  continued  his  fer 
vent  prayer. 

"  The  old  Carmelite,  finding  that  the  prophet  would 
consume  no  more  time  in  listening  to  his  murmuring 
and  complaining,  addressed  himself  to  the  servant  of 
Elijah,  whom  he  followed  back  and  forth,  as  he  went, 
now  to  look  toward  the  sea,  and  then  to  report  to  his 
master  the  result  of  his  observation. 

"  <  Servant  of  Elijah,  while  your  master  is  praying 
for  rain,  and  you  are  looking  out  for  evidences  of  its 
coming,  it  is  my  duty  to  warn  you  of  the  evils  you 
are  likely  to  bring  on  the  house  of  Israel.  Not  that  I 
am  opposed  to  rain,  for  I  think  well  of  it ;  that  is,  real 
rain,  such  as  Israel  had  in  days  of  old.  Ah,  if  we  could 
have  such  rains  now  as  they  had  in  the  days  of  Moses, 
and  Joshua,  and  Samuel,  I  should  be  among  the  first 
to  welcome  and  rejoice  in  them.  Those  were  blessed 
rains,  and  blessed  days  to  Israel.  O,  if  Elijah  would 
only  pray  for  such  rain  as  they  had  then,  how  heartily 
would  I  unite  with  him,  and  hold  up  his  hands  !  But 
these  transient  modern  rains  that  he  is  praying  for,  the 
fact  is,  I  cannot  abide  them.' 

"  Servant.  And  is  not  rain  essentially  the  same 
thing  now  that  it  was  in  the  days  of  Moses,  and  Joshua, 
and  Samuel  ?  I  must  caution  you  in  my  turn :  beware 
of  that  spirit  which  eulogizes  the  prophet  that  is  dead, 
and  persecutes  the  prophet  that  is  living.  Think  not 
to  exalt  Moses  while  you  scowl  at  Elijah  ;  for  one  spirit 
animated  them  both. 

"  Carmelite.  Not  at  all,  not  at  all :  the  rains  in 
the  time  of  Moses  and  the  fathers  were  widely  differ- 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  105 

ent  from  what   they  are  of  late.     I  can  enumerate  a 
dozen  "evils  connected  with  modern  rains. 

"  Servant.  Ah,  that  is  a  small  business.  The  merest 
cobweb-man  can  find  fault,  raise  objections,  and  make 
himself  troublesome.  A  man  may  excel  in  that  line, 
and  yet  be  himself  utterly  worthless,  indeed  '  worse 
than  worthless.'  But,  Carmelite,  can't  you  join  with 
the  prophet  Elijah  in  his  prayer  ?  Here  is  a  perishing 
population  all  around  you  —  millions  of  people  at  the 
very  door  of  death.  We  must  have  help  from  Heaven 
very  soon,  or  it  will  be  too  late.  Come,  join  with  the 
prophet,  and  wrestle  in  prayer  for  the  showers  of 
heaven,  that  the  many  ten  thousands  of  Israel  may  live 
and  praise  the  Lord. 

"  Carmelite.  I  doubt  the  '  discretion  '  of  Elijah. 

"  Servant.  How !  What  is  that  you  say  ?  You 
doubt  the  discretion  of  Elijah  ? 

"  Carmelite.  That  is  precisely  what  I  said.  Now 
you  shall  hear  my  reasons.  Very  shortly  before  Elijah 
passed  the  door  of  my  cave,  on  his  way  up  the  moun 
tain,  I  was  told  that  he  had  very  recently  been  engaged 
in  some  singular  innovations. 

"  Servant.  Ah  !  What  innovations  ?  Give  the  par 
ticulars. 

"  Carmelite.  Why,  it  was  reported  that  he  had  built 
an  altar  of  twelve  stones,  and  that  he  made  a  trench 
about  the  altar.  And  then  he  put  the  wood  in  order,  . 
and  cut  a  bullock  in  pieces,  and  laid  him  on  the  wood, 
and  said,  Fill  four  barrels  with  water,  and  pour  it  on  the 
burnt  sacrifice  and  on  the  wood.  £  And  he  said,  Do  it 
the  second  time.  And  they  did  it  the  second  time. 
And  he  said,  Do  it  the  third  time.  And  they  did  it  the 
third  time.  And  the  water  ran  about  the  altar  ;  and  he 
filled  the  trench  with  water.'  Is  this  true? 


106  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  Servant.  True,  every  word  true. 

"  Carmelite.  Well,  it  was  further  reported  that  he 
then  prayed  earnestly  to  the  God  of  Israel.  <  And  then 
the  fire  of  the  Lord  fell,  and  consumed  the  burnt  sacri 
fice,  and  the  wood,  and  the  stones,  and  the  dust,  and 
licked  up  the  water  that  was  in  the  trench.'  And  when 
all  the  people  saw  it,  they  were  so  powerfully  affected, 
that  they  fell  on  their  faces ;  and  they  said,  '  The  Lord 
he  is  the  God !  The  Lord  he  is  the  God  !  '  Now,  is 
this  report  true  ? 

"  Servant.  True  to  the  letter. 

"  Carmelite.  There  must  have  been  great  danger  of 
1  excitement '  among  the  people,  in  view  of  such 
scenes.  But  it  is  further  reported  that  Elijah  said  unto 
them,  i  Take  the  prophets  of  Baal ;  let  not  one  of  them 
escape.  And  they  took  them ;  and  Elijah  brought 
them  down  to  the  brook  Kishon,  and  slew  them  there.' 

"  Servant.  That  history  is  also  true. 

"  Carmelite.  The  prophet  Elijah  must  then  be  will 
ing  to  agitate  the  people  and  produce  'excitements.' 
I  have  no  confidence  in  his  l  discretion.'  But  you 
have  interrupted  me,  and  broken  the  thread  of  my  dis 
course.  I  wished  to  speak  of  some  of  the  'evils  of 
rain.' 

"  Servant.  Well,  then,  go  on,  in  your  own  way. 

"  Carmelite.  Well,  in  the  first  place,  rain,  in  modern 
times,  does  not  come  as  it  ought  to  come  ;  it  ought  to 
come  as  a  blessing.  The  face  of  heaven  should  be  mild 
and  smiling,  and  calculated  to  inspire  the  hearts  of  men 
with  cheerfulness  and  joy ;  then  all  would  welcome 
the  rain  with  perfect  unanimity,  and  the  serenity  and 
harmony  of  families  and  neighborhoods  would  not  be 
interrupted  by  it.  Instead  of  this,  I  have  seen  the 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  107 

black  cloud  roll  up  its  pitchy  volumes  in  the  north-west, 
and  throw  its  terrible  shadow  across  the  heavens : 
earth  was  shrouded  in  darkness,  its  pale  inhabitants 
quaked  with  terror,  and  many  have  been  driven  to 
absolute  distraction.  Yes,  these  evils  I  have  seen  in 
connection  with  modern  rains. 

"2.  When  the  rain  descended,  it  did  not  come  in 
soft  and  gentle  distillations,  so  as  gradually  to  water 
the  earth  to  make  it  bring  forth  and  bud ;  but  I  have 
seen  it  violently  poured  down  from  the  rent  cloud  in 
foaming  cataracts,  so  as  to  tear  up  the  earth,  wash  off 
the  soil,  and  do  great  injury. 

"  3.  Many  modern  rains  have  brought  from  the 
clouds  such  an  immense  discharge  of  water,  that  the 
streams  were  swollen  above  their  banks,  the  plains 
were  overflowed,  fences,  stacks  of  corn,  flocks  and 
herds  have  been  swept  away  and  destroyed :  it  was  all 
done  by  rain.  Such  calamities  never  were  known  to 
happen  in  dry  weather. 

"  4.  I  have  also  known,  along  with  modern  rains, 
gusts  of  wind  that  unroofed  the  buildings,  prostrated 
the  fruit  trees,  and  strewed  the  face  of  the  country 
with  havoc  and  devastation.  Can  any  one  deny  that 
these  are  great  evils  ? 

"  5.  It  is  also  well  known,  that  in  connection  with 
modern  rains,  there  have  been  flashes  of  lightning  and 
peals  of  thunder  of  awful  character  —  the  tall  oak  and 
the  majestic  cedar  have  been  shivered  to  atoms ;  the 
barn  and  the  mansion  house  have  been  set  on  fire  and 
burned  to  the  ground,  and  in  many  cases  human  life 
has  been  destroyed  in  a  moment.  Who  would  not 
prefer  perpetual  drought  to  rains  attended  with  such 
immense  evils  ?  Nor  is  this  all ;  for, 


108  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  6.  I  have  known  modern  rains  come  quite  out  of  sea 
son,  and  the  ripe  harvest  was  greatly  injured,  and  the 
mown  grass  was  totally  destroyed  by  excessive  and 
unseasonable  rains  ;  and  further, 

"  7.  I  have  observed,  with  an  accuracy  that  could 
not  be  mistaken,  that  rains,  after  all  that  has  been  said 
in  their  favor,  actually  nourish  rank  and  noxious  weeds. 
Yes,  thorns,  thistles,  briers,  brambles,  and  innumerable 
pernicious  plants,  are  unquestionably  nourished  by  rain. 
In  proof  of  this,  see  how  clean  the  fields  are  now  —  not 
a  hurtful  weed  to  be  seen  within  the  whole  enclosure. 
Ah,  it  is  because  we  have  had  no  rain  for  three  years 
and  a  half  to  make  such  weeds  grow  and  thrive. 
That  is  the  true  reason. 

"  Servant.  But  the  wheat  is  all  burned  up,  too. 
The  scorching  drought,  that  has  destroyed  the  weeds, 
has  also  consumed  every  vegetable  that  is  valuable. 

"  Carmelite.  Well,  well ;  I  am  not  talking  of  wheat. 
I  am  speaking  of  the  noxious  weeds  that  rain  produces. 
But  as  you  mention  wheat,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  have 
observed  on  that  subject,  and  this  will  be  evil  number 

"  8.  The  rain,  if  it  makes  the  wheat  grow,  makes 
the  chaff  grow  too.  I  have  noticed,  in  seasons  when 
we  had  rain,  that  in  close  connection  with  the  wheat, 
there  were  quantities  of  chaff  j  not  a  grain  of  wheat 
could  you  find,  but  there  was  chaff  on  the  very  same 
stalk.  Let  the  advocates  of  rain  deny  this,  if  they 
can.  And  further, 

"  9.  Modern  rains  are  very  transient  in  their  influ 
ence.  I  have  seen  the  ground  become  as  dry  a  few 
weeks  or  months  after  the  rain,  as  it  was  before  it  fell. 
I  tell  you,  that  is  one  of  my  strongest  objections  to 
modern  rains  :  they  are  transient ;  the  ground  will 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CARMELITE.  109 

actually   get   dry   after   it    has    been   moistened    by 
them. 

"  Servant.     Then  you  need  another  shower. 

"  Carmelite.  Ah,  there  is  where  you  are  wrong. 
If  we  had  the  right  kind  of  rain,  its  influence  would 
not  pass  away  so  soon.  Rain  did  not  dry  up  thus  in 
the  days  of  Moses  and  the  fathers. 

"  Servant.  I  have  read  the  history  of  Moses,  and  if 
you  will  compare  Ex.  xv.  1 — 18,  with  the  24th  verse 
of  the  same  chapter,  and  the  3d  and  4th  verses  of 
chapter  xvi.,  you  will  find  there  were  some  sudden 
droughts  then,  as  well  as  in  later  days. 

"  Carmelite.  But  I  have  a  tenth  objection.  I  have 
known  the  health  of  many  worthy  citizens  ruined  by 
rain.  In  fact,  many  diseases,  such  as  rheumatisms, 
coughs,  consumptions,  &c.;  are  promoted  by  rain.  O, 
if  men  could  be  persuaded  to  dwell  on  the  top  of  Giboa, 
where  there  is  no  rain,  neither  any  dew,  what  delight 
ful  health  they  might  enjoy  ! 
•  "  Servant.  Stop,  Carmelite!  stop,  I  beseech  you! 

They  had  now  just  reached  the  top  of  this  lofty  peak, 
for  the  seventh  time,  that  looked  out  toward  the  sea. 
The  servant,  in  a  sudden  transport  of  joy,  seized  the 
Carmelite  by  the  arm,  and  pointed  eagerly  to  the  south 
western  horizon.  l  Behold,  Carmelite,  behold,  on  the  dis 
tant  verge  of  heaven,  don't  you  see  a  little  object  rising 
there,  like  "  a  man's  hand  "  '  ?  The  Carmelite  looked  for 
a  moment  in  the  direction  the  servant  pointed.  Presently 
unwonted  paleness  overspread  his  long,  lean,  leathern 
visage.  His  frame  began  to  tremble,  and  his.  knees 
to  smite  one  against  another.  '  That  looks  very  much 
like  a  cloud ! '  he  exclaimed  in  accents  of  troubled 
agitation.  'Ah,  yes,  I  see.  It  is  spreading  alarm- 
10 


110  TI1K     WKSTKRN     S  K  KTC  II  -  H  (>(>  K  . 

iir-ly  !  li  throws  its  volumes  ahroad  in  ;ill  directions! 
We  are  threatened  with  rain  !  My  cave  !  My  cave  !  My 
only  chance  lor  shelter  is  in  my  cave!'  And  suiting 
UK;  action  (o  the  word,  In-  hurried  down  the  mountain, 
.'Mid  (Juried  into  his  cave.  There,  in  its  deep  and 
"I'toiny  recesses,  he  hrooded  over  the  awlul  condition 
o!'  the  coimlry,  ;ind  wrilii",  his  h:inds,  ;ind  e\el;iini(Ml, 

'  Alas !    alas  1    how   imminent   is  the   danger !     The 

day  is  darkened!  'The  sun  is  eclipsed!  The  hlack 
clouds  are  over  the  entire  laer  ol  heaven  !  Just  what 
I  apprehended  and  dreaded  !  Kill  the  prophet  Klijah 
was  so  self-willed  and  ohslinale  that  he  would  listen 
to  no  reason,  no  remonstrance !  There!  there!'  he 
cried  out,  as  he  heard  the  roaring  of  'a  great  and 
strong  wind  that  rent  the  mountains,  and  brake  in 

pieces  the  rocks,'  'There!  there!  my  worst  lore- 
hodinijs  are  realr/ed  !  I  said  there  would  he  wind  ! 
Mow  wide  the  desolation  will  spread!  Hut  an  indis 
creet  prophet  can't  he  managed.  There's  no  making 
him  tl  judicious.11  Kli  !  Mil  !'  he  suddenly  shrieked', 
in  a  sharp,  shrill  outcry,  as  a  hri'-hl  hla/.e  of  li^liluiiiu; 
kindled  up  ;ill  (he  inoiinlain  :.ide,  ;md  ."I  a  red  info  llie 
cav<"  ot  the  ('lirmelite,  so  as  to  make  every  ohjecl,  lor 
a  moment,  dislmclly  visihl--.  v  'There's  the  liL-htniiiL;  ! 
there's  the  Ir'lilnm"  !  and  next  we  shall  Inve  the 
thunder  peal  that  will  make  the  inoiinlain  treinhle. 

And  the  rain  has  already  he<;iin.  Yes,  I  hear  it,  I 
hear  it,  It's  pouring  down  I  It's  pouring  down ! 

There  i;oes  a  loaminu;  torrent,  dashing  impel  uously  nnd 

raving  by  the  vory  door  of  my  cave.  I  warned  Elijah 
faithfully  of  all  this,  but  he  was  deaf  to  counsel.  It 
was  all  in  vain  !  It  was  all  in  vain  !  ' 

"  Thus  the  old  Carmelite  continued  to  writhe,  wring 


ELIJAH    AND    THE    CAEMELITE,  111 

his  hands,  and  pour  forth  lamentations  during  all 
the  while  that  there  was  the  sound  of  an  abundance 
of  rain.'  He  remained  close  in  his  cave  for  a  number 

of  d;iys,  brooding  over  the  horrors  of  the  alarming 
visil.ii.lion  thai  IKK!  come  upon  the,  country  in  answer 
(<>  the  prayer  of  Elijah.  The  evils,  the  evils  of  rain! 
When,  at  length,  he  ventured  forth,  vegetation  was 
every  where  springing  up ;  the  fields  were  clothed  in 
living  green ;  all  nature  was  rejoicing, — 

'  Kor  Mir  (|iirni  of  llic  s|>nn;';,  iis  she  pnsscd  oYr  llic  vnlc, 
LHi.  li.-r  n.lx-  on  Mir  ITCCH,  ,m.l  lirr  lm-;il.li  on  t.lir  «^ilr.' 

The  Ijunhs  were  leaping  lor  joy,llir  luiii-hi!  birds  filled 
the  proves  with  melody.  ll;i.ppy  IJnuiilies  W(M'ir  srnd- 
iiii^  presents  ;nid  e.on^r;iliil;il.ioiis  oiu;  to  another.  A^e 
stnoolhcd  its  e;ire-worn  hrovv  to  hless  tlur  Lord,  while. 
c,liildren  rlapped  their  little  hands,  and  sinii',  '  I  losamui.' 
"  lint,  as  lor  the  (  Jarniclite,  none  of  those  things  moved 

him.  The  f-vils  of  ralu  was  the  theme  of  his  medi 
tation,  and  burden  of  his  tongue.  He  passed  from 

larin  to  farm,  inquiring  whose  field  had  ln-en  injiirrd 
])y  the  washing  rain,  whose  roof  had  leaked,  who  had 

hren  eaiiLdil  out  in  the.  shower,  who  had  taken  cold, 
or  had  a  eoii'jh,  or  rheumatic,  pain  aiJirra.valed  ;  and 
from  the.  facts  lie  collected,  he  was  yrc;illy  strengthened 
in  his  notion  ahonl.  the  cri/s  t>/  rain,  and  could  dec,la.iin 
on  tlie  subject  more  eloquently  than  ever." 


112  THE    WESTERN     SKETCH-BOOK. 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION. 


IN  the  month  of  October,  1838,  a  company  of  travellers 
were  passing  in  a  stage-coach  from  Vicksburg  to  Clinton, 
in  the  state  of  Mississippi.  Among  the  passengers  was 
a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  a  gentleman  who  was  then 
a  member  of  the  legislature  of  that  state  ;  a  senator,  I 
believe.  And  now,  for  a  number  of  years  past,  he  has 
been  a  senator  from  Mississippi,  in  the  congress  of  the 
United  States. 

The  free  and  desultory  conversation  in  the  stage 
turned  at  length  on  the  subject  of  religion.  When  the 
following  dialogue,  in  substance,  took  place  :  — 

Senator.  I  understand  that  you  are  a  minister  of  the 
gospel. 

Minister.     Yes,  sir. 

Senator.  There  are  some  things  in  the  Bible  which 
to  me  appear  difficult  of  comprehension.  I  should 
be  pleased  to  hear  your  explanation,  if  you  have  no 
objections. 

Minister.  None  at  all.  But  let  me  ask,  have  you 
studied  the  Bible  ? 

Senator.  Well  —  why  —  perhaps  not  so  much  as 
I  should  have  done. 

Minister.  Are  you  not  then  unreasonable  ?  That 
book  relates  to  eternity.  It  treats  of  subjects  of  im 
measurable  importance.  You  have  given  it  but  little 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  113 

attention,  and  yet  wonder  that  you  do  not  comprehend 
all  that  it  contains.  You  act  not  thus  in  other  matters. 
Here  is  a  man  who  never  spent  one  half  week  of  his 
life  in  attempting  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  mathemat 
ics.  He  takes  up  a  volume  of  Euclid  ;  he  looks  into 
it  for  a  little  time,  and  then  objects, — "Here  are  points, 
lines,  angles,  circles,  triangles,  &c.  I  cannot  compre 
hend  their  meaning."  You  would  say  to  him,  "  Sir,  you 
have  not  given  that  book  the  attention  which  its  impor 
tance  demands.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  you 
do  not  comprehend  its  contents.  If  you  will  turn  your 
thoughts  to  it,  and  bestow  upon  it  the  proper  amount 
of  study  and  of  time,  you  will  behold  truth,  beauty, 
grandeur,  in  those  very  figures  that  now  appear  un 
meaning  and  mysterious." 

"  But,  perhaps,"  said  the  minister  to  the  senator, 
"  you  were  going  to  specify  the  particular  difficulty  that 
you  have  encountered  in  the  Bible." 

Senator.  I  was  about  to  mention  the  passage  in 
the  book  of  Joshua,  where  Joshua  commands  the  sun 
and  moon  to  stand  still. 

Minister.  And  what  is  the  particular  difficulty 
there  ? 

Senator.  To  speak  of  the  sun  standing  still,  is  not 
good  philosophy  ;  for  we  know  it  is  the  diurnal  revolu 
tion  of  the  earth  that  gives  to  the  sun,  and  the  moon, 
and  the  stars,  their  apparent  motions. 

Minister.  Certainly,  sir  ;  and  Sir  Isaac  Newton 
understood  that  altogether  as  well  as  we  ;  and  yet 
he  would  speak  of  the  sun  rising,  and  the  sun  setting, 
the  moon  rising,  and  the  moon  going  down ;  and  all 
philosophers  talk  thus  when  they  wish  to  be  under 
stood.  The  Bible  uses  the  language  common  to  man. 
10* 


114  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

It  was  designed  to  be  understood.  Allow  me  to  say, 
sir,  that  you  do  yourself  injustice  in  bringing  forward 
an  objection  like  this.  It  is  not  worthy  of  a  philoso 
pher.  On  the  same  ground,  you  would  reject  every 
almanac  published  in  Europe  and  America.  For  all 
these  almanacs  not  only  speak  of  the  rising  and  the  set 
ting  of  the  sun  and  the  moon,  but  they  are  very  careful 
to  point  out  the  exact  minute,  when  these  unphilo- 
sophical  absurdities  take  place. 

Senator.  I  did  not  intend  to  insist  on  this  objec 
tion.  I  have  another,  of  a  character  more  serious. 
Would  not  such  a  suspension  of  the  rotary  motion  of 
the  earth  have  introduced  confusion,  derangement,  and 
ruin  into  the  entire  solar  system  ? 

Minister.  Your  question  is  this  :  When  the  master 
workman  has  completed  every  wheel,  spring,  lever,  and 
minuter  part  of  the  perfect  watch  or  clock,  and  put 
the  machine  together,  and  set  it  in  motion,  can  he 
now  stop  the  minute  hand  and  the  hour  hand,  for  one 
half  day,  or  one  whole  day,  without  introducing  con 
fusion  and  ruin  into  the  entire  structure  ?  Joshua 
"  spake  to  the  Lord  in  that  day,"  and  the  miracle  was 
performed  by  that  hand  which  built  the  stupendous 
frame  of  nature.  Surely  the  divine  Architect  can 
control  the  work  of  his  hands  as  easily  as  an  earthly 
mechanic. 

Senator.  Yet  the  narrative  has  something  about  it 
that  strikes  my  mind  as  strange  and  incredible. 

Minister.  That  is  owing  to  our  limited  and  imper 
fect  knowledge  in  the  present  life.  In  the  early 
history  of  what  has  been  called  the  far  west,  there  was 
a  steamboat  built,  by  the  order  of  the  government,  for 
the  purpose  of  exploring  the  Missouri  River.  The 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  115 

figure-head  of  that  boat  was  fashioned  like  the  head  of 
an  enormous  serpent.  It  projected  some  distance  in 
front  of  the  boat,  and  then  the  body  of  the  serpent 
seemed  to  wind  down  under  the  boat  till  it  was  lost 
from  view  in  the  water.  The  head  and  body  of  this 
serpent  were  painted  with  bright  colors,  —  red,  green, 
yellow,  —  in  long  streaks,  so  as  to  give  it  a  very  frightful 
appearance.  The  machinery  was  so  constructed,  that 
when  the  fires  were  kindled  up  and  the  vessel  was  in 
motion,  the  steam,  smoke,  and  sparks  were  thrown  out 
at  the  mouth  of  this  serpent.  In  this  style  it  moved 
up  the  Missouri  River  —  a  monstrous  serpent,  carrying 
the  great  boat  on  its  back,  breathing  out  steam,  smoke, 
and  fire  in  its  progress.  Indians,  of  the  various  tribes 
along  the  river,  would  come  to  the  top  of  the  bluffs 
that  overlook  the  stream.  They  would  gaze  a  moment 
or  two  in  terror  at  the  moving  monster,  then  wheel 
and  yell,  and  run  for  their  lives. 

Now,  how  perfectly  mysterious,  to  one  of  these  un 
tutored  Indians,  was  the  fact,  that  a  skilful  engineer, 
by  simply  turning  a  screw,  can  stop  the  action  of  that 
mighty  machinery  that  throws  the  boat  with  such 
speed  against  the  current  of  the  rapid  river,  and  by 
giving  that  screw  a  turn  the  other  way,  can  put  it  all 
in  motion  again. 

The  present  life  is  but  our  birthday.  We  but 
"know  in  part,"  we  but  "see  through  a  glass  darkly." 
In  a  future  state,  no  doubt,  we  shall  see  clearly  how  a 
mighty  angel  could  stop  the  rotary  motion  of  the  earth  ; 
or  take  off  the  fury  of  the  flame  of  Nebuchadnezzar's 
furnace,  so  that  Shadrach,  Meshech,  and  Abednego 
could  walk  through  the  midst  of  it,  without  having  a 
hair  of  their  head  singed,  or  the  smell  of  fire  upon  their 


116  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

raiment ;  or  stop  the  mouths  of  the  lions,  so  that  Daniel 
could  stay  all  night  unhurt  in  their  den.  Indeed,  there 
are  beings  above  and  around  us  now  to  whom  these 
matters  are  just  as  plain  as  the  mode  of  managing  a 
mighty  engine  is  to  a  skilful  engineer.  You  remem 
ber,  doubtless,  the  beautiful  lines  of  Pope  — 

"  Superior  beings,  when  of  late  they  saw 
A  mortal  man  unfold  all  nature's  law, 
Admired  such  wisdom  in  an  earthly  shape, 
And  showed  a  Newton  as  we  show  an  ape." 

Senator.  But  my  great  difficulty  is  yet  untouched. 
I  can't  see  that  it  was  worthy  of  the  great  God  to  per 
form  such  a  miracle  as  this,  merely  to  give  one  nation 
the  advantage  over  another  in  battle.  Can  it  be  shown 
that  this  miracle,  at  that  time,  and  in  that  connection, 
was  worthy  of  the  great  God  ? 

Minister.  That  is  indeed  the  most  important  ques 
tion  that  has  yet  been  brought  up.  And  I  assure  you 
that  it  admits  of  a  most  satisfactory  answer. 

Senator.  I  shall  be  much  gratified  to  hear  a  con 
clusive  answer. 

Minister.  I  think  that  three  points  can  be  estab 
lished  to  your  entire  satisfaction. 

1.  That  there  was  then  a  critical    juncture  in  the 
affairs  of  men,  which  rendered  it  worthy  of  God  to 
interpose  and  perform  that  miracle  ;    that  the  miracle 
itself  was  timely,  appropriate,  and  highly  instructive. 

2.  That  traditions  have  come  down  among  heathen 
nations  which  show  that  such  an  event  certainly  took 
place. 

3.  That  the  whole  matter  is  in  perfect  unison  with 
the  elevated  and  sublime  spirit  of  Bible  religion. 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  117 

Senator.  If  these  points  can  be  established,  the 
objection  must  certainly  vanish.  I  will  hear  you 
patiently. 

Minister.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  idolatry, 
the  worship  of  false  gods,  was  in  that  age  the  besetting 
sin  of  the  world.  Infidelity  is  a  somewhat  modern 
device  of  Satan.  His  great  engine  of  destruction,  in 
that  age,  was  idolatry. 

Egypt,  Nineveh,  Babylon,  all  the  wealthy  and  pow 
erful  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  had  been  carried  away  by 
this  destructive  and  strong  delusion.  Idolatry  had 
swallowed  up  the  nations.  It  was  triumphant  north, 
south,  east,  and  west.  With  the  single  exception  of 
Israel,  no  nation  had  escaped  the  insnaring  power  of 
this  master  device  of  the  prince  of  hell.  The  whole 
land  of  Canaan  was  deluged  with  this  hideous  delusion. 
The  objects  which  they  idolized  were  many,  but  the 
most  notable  were  the  sun  and  the  moon,  which  they 
worshipped  under  the  title  of  the  king  and  queen  of 
heaven. 

A  memorable  conflict  between  idolatry  and  the  true 
religion,  dates  its  commencement  from  the  first  mission 
of  Moses  to  Pharaoh,  king  of  Egypt.  Many  of  the 
wonders  performed  in  Egypt  were  designed  to  show 
that  the  idols  of  the  heathen  are  nothing ;  and  that 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  is  the  living  and  the  true 
God.  It  is  essential  that  this  be  borne  in  mind,  in 
order  to  a  correct  understanding  of  much  of  the  Old 
Testament.  The  overthrow  of  Pharaoh  and  his  mighty 
Egyptian  army  at  the  Red  Sea,  sent  terror  and  trem 
bling  to  the  heart  of  the  heathen  world.  They  realized 
that  it  was  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
Israel's  God.  The  impression  was  so  deep  that  it  is 


118  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

found  among  the  Philistines  many  ages  afterward,  as 
appears  from  1  Sam.  iv.  7,  8  :  "  And  the  Philistines 
were  afraid,  for  they  said,  God  is  come  into  the  camp. 
And  they  said,  Woe  unto  us !  for  there  hath  not  been 
such  a  thing  heretofore.  Woe  unto  us !  Who  shall  de 
liver  us  out  of  the  hand  of  these  mighty  Gods  ?  these 
are  the  Gods  that  smote  the  Egyptians  with  all  the 
plagues  in  the  wilderness." 

As  Israel  journeyed  from  the  Red  Sea  toward  Canaan, 
the  news  of  God's  wonders  among  them  ran  ahead, 
and  spread  among  the  nations  west  of  Jordan.  At 
length,  from  their  mountain  tops  and  temple  towers 
they  began  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  that  fiery  pillar  that 
glided  slowly  along  in  front  of  the  hosts  of  the  Lord. 
Next  the  immense  moving  multitude  came  in  view, 
and  the  banner  of  each  of  the  tribes  could  be  distinctly 
seen.  Presently  the  stream  of  Jordan  is  rolled  back 
by  an  invisible  hand,  and  banner  after  banner  is  seen 
going  down  on  the  eastern  side  into  the  channel,  and 
soon  banner  after  banner  rises  on  the  western  shore. 
Jericho  falls  before  them.  City  after  city  is  overcome. 
Presently  Gibeon,  one  of  the  royal  cities,  convinced  of 
the  folly  of  their  idol  worship,  send  and  make  a  league 
with  Joshua  and  with  Israel,  and  acknowledge  Jehovah 
as  the  only  living  and  true  God.  "  Thy  servants  are 
come,"  said  they  to  Joshua,  "  because  of  the  name  of 
the  Lord  thy  God  ;  for  we  have  heard  the  fame  of  him, 
and  all  that  he  did  in  Egypt."  (Josh.  ix.  9. )  This  was 
a  solemn  profession  of  the  true  religion.  They  thus 
publicly  renounced  heathenism,  and  acknowledged 
Jehovah  as  the  only  true  God.  Now,  "  Gibeon  was  a 
great  city,  one  of  the  royal  cities,  and  all  the  men 
thereof  were  mighty."  This  was  a  tremendous  blow 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  119 

to  idolatry,  and  it  roused  to  earnest  action  the  advo 
cates  of  idol  worship  in  all  surrounding  kingdoms. 
"  Wherefore  Adoni-zedec,  king  of  Jerusalem,  sent  unto 
Hoham  king  of  Hebron,  and  unto  Piram  king  of  Jar- 
muth,  and  unto  Japhia  king  of  Lachish,  and  unto  Debir 
king  of  Eglon,  saying,  Come  up  unto  me,  and  help  me, 
that  we  may  smite  Gibeon  ;  for  it  hath  made  peace 
with  Joshua  and  with  the  children  of  Israel.  There 
fore  the  five  kings  of  the  Amorites,  the  king  of  Jerusa 
lem,  the  king  of  Hebron,  the  king  of  Jarmuth,  the  king 
of  Lachish,  the  king  of  Eglon,  gathered  themselves 
together,  and  went  up,  they  and  all  their  hosts,  and 
encamped  before  Gibeon,  and  made  war  against  it. 
And  the  men  of  Gibeon  sent  unto  Joshua  to  the  camp 
to  Gilgal,  saying,  Slack  not  thy  hand  from  thy  servants  : 
come  up  to  us  quickly,  and  save  us,  and  help  us  ;  for 
all  the  kings  of  the  Amorites  that  dwell  in  the  moun 
tains  are  gathered  together  against  us.  So  Joshua 
ascended  from  Gilgal,  he,  and  all  the  people  of  war 
with  him,  and  all  the  mighty  men  of  valor."  Here  is 
the  most  notable  and  eventful  struggle  on  the  field  of 
battle  which  the  annals  of  the  world  have  witnessed 
between  idolatry  and  the  true  religion.  What  were 
the  leading  idols  to  which  these  deluded  Canaanites 
paid  divine  honors  ?  They  were  the  sun  and  moon. 
To  these  they  offered  their  profane  adorations  under 
the  title  of  the  king  and  queen  of  heaven.  When  man 
is  in  trouble,  he  calls  upon  his  God.  The  fears  excited 
among  these  idolaters  by  the  wonders  done  by  the 
God  of  Israel,  of  which  they  had  been  told,  would  lead 
them  to  call  for  help  now  on  their  supreme  deities  ; 
that  is,  on  the  sun  and  the  moon.  Breathing  prayers 
to  these,  they  mustered  their  armies  ;  and  officers  and 


120  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

soldiers,  as  they  marched  to  the  dreaded  conflict,  sent 
up  their  earnest  petitions  for  help  to  the  sun  and  to 
the  moon. 

Now,  what  is  that  which  a  routed  army,  flying  from 
a  victorious  foe,  so  much  desires  ?  It  is  night,  that 
under  its  dark  covert  the  fugitive  may  elude  his  pur 
suer.  At  the  sanguinary  battle  of  Waterloo,  the  Prus 
sian  army,  commanded  by  Blucher,  was  strangely  tardy 
in  coming  into  the  action ;  and  when  the  experienced 
eye  of  Wellington  beheld  the  frightful  waste  produced 
by  the  columns  of  the  French  army,  as,  led  on  by  its 
fiery  marshals,  they  charged  in  terrible  succession  on 
the  exhausted  troops  of  England,  "  If  that  deadly 
charge  continues  ten  minutes  longer,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  I  must  order  a  retreat !  O  that  Blucher  or  night 
would  come  !  "  Yes,  night,  the  darkness  of  night,  is 
that  which  a  flying  army  preeminently  desires.  Be 
hold  now  the  scene  on  the  field  of  Gibeon :  the  em 
battled  armies  of  the  confederate  kings,  with  courage 
inflamed  by  burning  appeals  from  renowned  warriors 
who  lead  them  on,  rush  with  headlong  fury  against  the 
hosts  of  the  Lord.  Along  the  extended  line,  the  strife 
of  contending  champions  is  stern  and  terrible.  "  We 
come,  sustained  by  the  gods  we  worship ! "  cries  Adoni- 
zedec,  at  the  head  of  his  army.  "  We  meet  you,"  answers 
Joshua,  "  in  the  name  of  Him  who  dried. up  the  Red 
Sea!  "  "  The  sun  and  moon  are  our  helpers  and  our 
gods  !  "  shout  the  heathen  multitudes,  making  a  des 
perate  onset.  "  My  help  cometh  from  the  Lord,  which 
made  heaven  and  earth  !  "  replies  Israel,  repelling  their 
legions,  as  the  rock  repels  a  thousand  waves.  Soon 
the  scales  of  destiny  begin  to  turn.  Victory  perches 
on  the  standard  of  Israel.  And  O,  what  confusion, 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  121 

terror,  rout,  and  ruin  have  overtaken  that  idolatrous 
multitude  !  Hark  !  that  loud  and  lamentable  cry  !  that 
earnest,  imploring  prayer  that  bursts  from  myriads  of 
agonized  bosoms,  "Ye  sources  of  light,  whom  we 
have  worshipped  !  Sun  and  moon,  to  whom  we  have 
poured  out  our  offerings  !  Withdraw  your  rays  !  with 
draw  !  withdraw  !  let  thick  darkness  cover  us,  that  we 
may  hide  from  the  sword  of  our  pursuers  !  " 

Then  spoke  Joshua  to  the  Lord  ;  and  he  said,  in  the 
sight  of  all  Israel,  "  Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gibeon ! 
and  thou,  moon,  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon !  Throw  your 
light  around  them !  Let  there  be  no  darkness  nor 
mantle  of  night,  under  which  the  champions  of  idola 
try  may  hide  themselves  !  Let  the  heathen  nations 
know  that  Israel's  God  made  arid  manages  the  sun  and 
moon,  and  can  make  the  very  luminaries  they  have 
profanely  idolized  contribute  to  their  overthrow ! " 
"  And  the  sun  stood  still,  and  the  moon  stayed,  until 
the  people  had  avenged  themselves  upon  their  enemies. 
Is  not  this  written  in  the  book  of  Jasher  ?  So  the  sun 
stood  still  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  and  hasted  not  to  go 
down  about  a  whole  day.  And  there  was  no  day  like 
that,  before  it  or  after  it,  that  the  Lord  hearkened  unto 
the  voice  of  a  man;  for  the  Lord  fought  for  Israel." 

There  are  now  three  particulars,  in  relation  to  this 
miracle,  which  I  wish  you  carefully  to  consider. 

1.  This  miracle  was  worthy  of  God,  and  demanded 
by  the  circumstances  of  the  occasion.  It  was  peculiarly 
appropriate,  timely,  and  instructive.  The  darkness  and 
delusion  that  have  come  over  the  human  soul  constitute 
one  of  the  most  mournful  results  of  man's  rebellion. 
God  has  employed  a  "long  cloud  of  witnesses"  to 
testify  divine  truth  to  men.  Patriarchs,  prophets,  apos- 
11 


122  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

ties,  many  of  the  brightest  luminaries  that  have  ap 
peared  in  the  intellectual  firmament,  have  been  thus 
employed  for  ages.  When  the  Son  of  God  came  to 
earth,  the  first  office  in  which  he  engaged  was  that  of 
a  teacher  of  righteousness.  Long  did  he  labor,  that 
man  might  be  delivered  from  spiritual  darkness,  and 
led  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  concerning  God. 
Now,  I  ask,  was  it  worthy  of  Jehovah  to  employ  such 
intellects  as  Enoch,  and  Moses,  and  Isaiah,  that  men 
might  be  delivered  from  fatal  error,  and  brought  to 
know  the  truth  ?  Was  it  worthy  of  God  to  send  his 
only  Son  to  earth,  to  preach  at  the  sea-side,  in  the 
synagogue,  and  on  the  mountain,  that  blinded,  erring 
man  might  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  ?  And 
was  it  unworthy  of  God  to  use  any  portion  of  that 
unconscious  matter  which  his  own  hand  had  created, 
for  the  same  great  purpose  ?  Was  it  unworthy  of  God 
to  make  use  of  the  flood,  the  fire,  the  earth,  the  sun, 
the  moon,  to  sweep  from  the  soul  of  man  a  most  fatal 
delusion,  and  fasten  there  a  conviction  of  that  great 
truth  which  lies  at  the  very  foundation  of  all  true  reli 
gion  ?  The  more  correctly  we  understand  the  actual 
characteristics  of  that  idolatry  which  had  bewitched 
and  bewildered  the  nations  of  Canaan,  the  more  clearly 
we  shall  see  that  in  this  "  notable  miracle  "  the  God 
of  Israel  appears  divinely  wise,  divinely  good,  and 
divinely  glorious. 

2.  Traditions  have  come  down  among  the  heathen 
nations,  that  can  be  accounted  for  only  by  admitting 
the  reality  of  this  recorded  miracle.  Authentic  history 
among  the  Gentiles  fails,  by  some  thousand  years,  to 
reach  back  to  the  time  of  Joshua.  Yet  notable  events, 
which  were  observed  before  the  days  of  Hesiod  and  of 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  123 

Homer,  have  been  handed  down  from  age  to  age  by 
tradition.  Often,  indeed,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  fabu 
lous  drapery  thrown  around  such  events.  But  when 
you  strip  off  the  covering  in  which  poets  and  sages 
have  dressed  it,  the  substance  of  the  historical  fact  is 
there.  Now,  among  their  many  traditions  is  found  the 
following  :  Apollo  being  the  god  of  the  sun.  it  was 
his  business  to  drive  the  chariot  of  the  sun  round  the 
world  every  day,  in  order  to  give  light  to  the  inhabit 
ants.  The  thing  was  done  with  great  exactness  and 
propriety  while  Apollo  attended  to  it  in  person.  But 
Apollo  at  length  became  the  father  of  a  headstrong, 
adventurous  boy,  whose  name  was  Phaeton.  A  play 
mate  of  Phaeton's  insulted  him,  by  alleging  that  his 
mother  had  deceived  him  as  to  his  parentage,  and  that 
Apollo  would  not  own  him  as  his  son.  Phaeton,  full 
of  anger  and  vexation,  hurried  to  the  palace  of  Apollo, 
and  demanded,  "  Do  you,  Apollo,  acknowledge  me  as 
your  son  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  answered  Apollo. 

"  What  proof  will  you  give  that  you  own  me  ? " 
asked  Phaeton. 

"  I  will  give  you  any  proof  you  may  desire." 

"  Swear  to  that  by  an  inviolable  oath,"  said  Phaeton. 

Apollo  accordingly  took  the  inviolable  oath. 

"  Now,  Phaeton,  what  do  you  ask  ?  "  said  Apollo. 

"  I  ask,"  said  Phaeton,  "the  privilege  of  driving  the 
chariot  of  the  sun  round  the  world  for  one  day." 

"  Alas  !  Phaeton,"  said  Apollo,  "  you  know  not  what 
you  ask.  It  requires  all  my  strength  and  skill  to  man 
age  the  fiery  horses.  It  is  utterly  beyond  your  strength." 

But  Phaeton  was  inflexible,  and  the  oath  of  Apollo 
inviolable.  So  Phaeton  is  the  driver  for  one  day.  Ovid 


124  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

says  that  Phaeton  succeeded  tolerably  well  in  driving 
up  the  ascent  of  the  morning,  till  the  sun  reached  his 
noonday  station.  But  when  it  became  necessary  to 
commence  the  descent  by  which  the  sun  might  go 
down,  the  horses  became  restive,  unmanageable,  and 
all  Phaeton's  efforts  were  wholly  unavailing.  The  sun 
strangely  remained  in  the  heavens,  and  refused  to  go 
down ;  and  the  heathen  poet,  after  enumerating  many 
disasters  that  ensued,  uses  almost  the  very  language 
of  the  book  of  Joshua,  that  "  there  was  no  day  like 
that  day." 

Now,  strip  off  the  drapery  which  the  poet's  imagina 
tion  has  thrown  around  this  matter,  and  come  to  the 
facts  of  the  case.  What  ever  put  it  into  the  head  of  a 
heathen  sage  to  get  up  a  story  like  this  ?  Evidently 
the  fact,  that  there  was  one  extraordinary  day  in  which 
the  sun  strangely  refused  to  go  down,  as  on  other  days. 
And  heathen  sages,  attempting  to  account  for  the  sin 
gular  phenomenon  according  to  their  philosophy  and 
their  mythology,  very  naturally  came  to  the  conclusion, 
that  the  right  driver  was  not  engaged  on  that  day,  and 
that  the  reins,  and  the  management  of  the  chariot  of 
the  sun,  had  been  intrusted  to  inexperienced  and  in 
competent  hands.  This  heathen  tradition  is  a  marked 
and  strong  confirmation  of  the  miracle,  as  recorded  in 
the  book  of  Joshua.  Had  no  such  interruption  of  the 
sun's  course  ever  taken  place,  we  should  never  have 
heard  this  tradition. 

3.  This  command  of  Joshua  is  in  perfect  unison 
with  the  elevated  and  sublime  spirit  of  Bible  religion. 
"  Hallowed  be  thy  name  !  "  is  the  first  petition  in  our 
Lord's  prayer.  The  most  important  end  that  any  created 
object  can  answer,  is  to  honor  arid  glorify  God. 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  125 

The  song  of  the  church  in  heaven  is,  "  Thou  art 
worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and  honor,  and  power  ; 
for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure 
they  are  and  were  created."  The  song  of  the  church 
on  earth  is,  "  Praise  ye  the  Lord.  Praise  ye  the  Lord 
from  the  heavens ;  praise  him  in  the  heights.  Praise 
ye  him,  all  his  angels  ;  praise  ye  him,  all  his  hosts. 
Praise  ye  him,  sun  and  moon ;  praise  him,  all  ye  stars 
of  light.  Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord  ;  for 
he  commanded,  and  they  were  created."  Of  this  reli 
gion  the  soul  of  Joshua  was  full  to  overflowing.  He 
had  beheld  the  wonders  of  God  in  Egypt ;  he  had 
witnessed  that  great  transaction  at  the  Red  Sea.  The 
river  of  Egypt  had  honored  God,  and  blushed  itself  to 
blood  when  smitten  by  his  rod.  The  Red  Sea  had 
honored  God  when  it  made  a  way  for  his  people.  The 
clouds  of  heaven  had  honored  God  when  they  sent 
down  the  manna.  Mount  Sinai  had  honored  God  with 
her  smoke  and  her  flame  when  the  Lord  descended 
upon  it  in  fire.  The  earth  had  honored  God  when 
she  opened  her  mouth  at  his  command,  and  swallowed 
up  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram.  Jordan  had  honored 
God  when  it  rolled  back  its  tide,  and  stood  in  a  heap 
at  the  approach  of  the  ark  of  his  covenant.  Joshua 
had  seen  all  this,  and  rejoiced  that  unconscious  Nature 
honored  her  God.  And  now,  when  the  heathen  army 
approached,  bearing  on  their  banners  profane  devices 
of  the  sun  and  moon  which  they  have  idolized,  the 
soul  of  Joshua  was  roused,  and  he  calls  again  upon 
unconscious  nature  to  honor  the  great  God.  We  are 
reminded  of  the  language  of  Christ,  when  the  Phari 
sees  called  on  him  to  rebuke  the  disciples  who  were 
speaking  his  praise.  "  He  answered  and  said  unto 


126  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

them,  I  tell  you  that,  if  these  should  hold  their  peace, 
the  stones  would  immediately  cry  out."  The  same 
spirit  was  in  the  prophet  when  he  said,  "  The  stone 
shall  cry  out  of  the  wall,  and  the  beam  from  the  timber 
shall  answer  it." 

The  appeal  of  Joshua  may  be  paraphrased  thus : 
"  O  Sun !  O  Moon  !  Can  you  bear  to  have  your  Maker 
dishonored  and  blasphemed  ?  Can  you  bear  to  look  on 
and  see  stupid,  rebellious  man  change  the  glory  of  the 
incorruptible  God  into  a  lie,  and  worship  and  serve  the 
creature  more  than  the  Creator  ?  Remonstrate  !  re 
monstrate  against  such  awful  profanation  !  Stand  still, 
in  the  midst  of  heaven  !  Shine  to  your  Maker's  praise  ! 
Witness  to  all  these  deluded  nations,  that  you  are  up 
held  and  controlled  by  a  hand  that  is  divine."  The 
sublime  religion  which  animated  the  heart  of  Joshua 
taught  him  that  the  glory  of  God  is  the  highest  good 
of  the  universe,  and  that  the  best  use  that  can  be  made 
of  earth  or  ocean,  sun  or  moon,  is  to  have  them  pro 
claim  the  wisdom,  the  power,  the  grandeur,  the  su 
premacy  of  the  great,  eternal  God.  And  hence,  when 
Joshua  gave  this  notable  command,  he  was  acting  in 
perfect  harmony  with  this  elevated  and  divine  religion. 
I  close  with  two  remarks. 

1.  We  are  not  surprised  that  "  Israel  served  the  Lord 
all  the  days  of  Joshua,  and  all  the  days  of  the  eldeis 
that  overlived  Joshua."     The  very  companions  of  such 
a  man  would  shed  a  wholesome  influence  around  them 
as  long  as  they  lived. 

2.  Joshua  witnessed  more  of  God's  wonderful  works 
than  any  mere  man  who  ever  lived.     He  saw  most,  or 
all,  of  the  miracles  performed  by  Moses.     He  beheld 
the  works  of  Israel's  God  in  Egypt,  at  the  Red  Sea, 


STAGE-COACH    DISCUSSION.  127 

at  Mount  Sinai,  and  throughout  the  wilderness.  And 
then,  when  Moses  was  dead,  he  led  the  tribes  into 
Canaan,  and  saw  God's  wonders  there.  He  nobly 
sustained  his  part  in  life,  through  a  long  series  of  years, 
and  well  deserves  an  honorable  rank  among  "  the  great 
men  of  the  Bible." 

At  this  point  the  stage  passengers  separated,  as  earthly 
travellers  must.  What  effect  was  produced  on  the  mind 
of  the  senator,  the  writer  has  not  had  opportunity  to 
learn.  The  substance  of  the  conversation  is  inserted 
here,  with  the  hope  that  it  may  aid  others  to  under 
stand  this  notable  passage  in  the  Bible. 


128  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


THE  SKELETON  PREACHER,  AND  THE 
CONGREGATION  OP  DRY  BONES. 


EXTRACT  FROM  AN   ANCIENT   JEWISH    RECORD. 

THE  valley  was  wide,  long,  and  very  capacious,  but 
the  reign  of  desolation  was  there.  The  green  grass 
had  spread  no  carpet  over  the  ground ;  neither  plant 
nor  flowering  shrub  was  to  be  seen  ;  nor  did  the  tali 
forest  tree,  lifting  up  its  majestic  form  toward  heaven, 
there  wave  its  beautiful  branches  in  the  breeze,  or  cast 
its  refreshing  shade  around.  The  naked  earth  had  long 
been  baked  and  scorched  by  the  rays  of  a  torrid  sun. 
No  living  form  was  seen  in  that  deserted  and  desolate 
field.  Every  beast  of  the  forest  kept  aloof.  Nor  was 
it  approached  by  one  of  "  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand 
hills."  Even  the  birds  of  the  air  shunned  it,  as  they 
are  said  to  have  shunned  the  lake  of  Sodom,  and  the 
very  winds  of  heaven  appeared  paralyzed  and  power 
less  when  they  came  to  the  confines  of  this  kingdom 
of  the  dead. 

The  valley  was  "  full  of  bones ;  and  behold,  there 
were  very  many  in  the  open  valley  ;  and  lo,  they  were 
very  dry. "  ( Ez.  xxxvii.  1,2.)  While  I  gazed  on  the  sad 
scene  before  me,  my  ear  was  caught  by  a  strange,  un 
earthly  voice.  "  I  am  the  pastor  of  this  congregation," 
said  the  voice  ;  "  this  day  is  the  seventieth  anniversary 


THE    SKELETON    PREACHER.  129 

of  the  commencement  of  my  ministry  among  you, 
and  now  I  am  about  to  preach  again." 

I  turned  to  see  the  speaker,  and  behold  there  stood 
up  in  the  midst  of  the  valley  a  ghastly  skeleton  of  dry 
bones.  Its  naked,  fleshless  condition  gave  it  the  ap 
pearance  of  unusual  tallness,  and  the  long  bones  on 
which  it  stood,  and  of  which  it  was  composed,  ap 
peared  extremely  dry.  The  ribs  had  a  bleached  and 
wasted  aspect,  from  long  exposure  in  the  open  plain. 
The  skull  was  bare  and  weather-beaten,  and  the  empty 
sockets,  where  eyes  should  have  been,  had  a  frightful, 
ghastly  look  ;  the  teeth  were  all  exposed,  and  extreme 
ly  white.  Sometimes  he  stretched  out  his  long,  flesh- 
less  arm  and  hand,  and  then  every  bone  was  distinctly 
seen.  Sometimes  he  brought  his  hand  to  his  side,  and 
then  his  dry  fingers  would  rattle  on  his  naked  ribs ; 
and  then,  again,  he  would  clasp  his  hands,  while  the 
bones  would  clatter  and  clank  one  against  another. 
How  he  could  speak  without  the  use  of  lungs,  or  lips, 
or  tongue,  I  could  not  tell ;  but  there  was  a  strange, 
sepulchral  hollo wness  in  his  voice,  and  his  articulation 
had  a  supernatural  and  horrible  distinctness. 

As  he  turned  his  head  to  address  the  different  parts 
of  his  congregation,  the  naked  skull  harshly  grated 
and  creaked  on  the  dry  neck  bones ;  yet  there  was  an 
air  of  gloomy  satisfaction  in  the  manner  of  this  skele 
ton  preacher,  while  he  surveyed  the  multitude  before 
him,  as  if  their  situation  delighted  him  much.  A  hag 
gard  expression  of  approval  looked  out  through  the 
hollow  sockets  of  his  eyes,  and  there  appeared  on  his 
naked  cheek-bone  the  dim  counterfeit  of  a  ghastly 
smile. 

"  O  ye  dry  bones,"  he  exclaimed  ;  "  this  is  the  anni- 


130  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

versary  of  my  profitable  and  acceptable  ministry  among 
you.  It  is  therefore  highly  proper  that  we  should  mu 
tually  rejoice  together  ;  yea,  that  we  should  mutually 
rejoice  in  each  other ;  for  few  preachers  have  had  such 
a  congregation,  and  few  congregations  have  had  such  a 
preacher. 

"  O  ye  dry  bones,  on  this  joyful  occasion  you  must 
allow  me  to  speak  freely.  I  must  go  into  particulars, 
and  rehearse  the  many  things  in  your  present  prosper 
ous  and  promising  condition,  that  afford  me  rapturous 
delight. 

"  First,  then,  O  ye  dry  bones,  I  am  in  raptures 
while  I  contemplate  you,  because  you  are  so  steady. 
Steadiness  and  stillness  are  well  known  as  the  attri 
butes  of  profound  attention,  and  thus  you  bestow  the 
highest  encomium  on  your  esteemed  and  beloved  pas 
tor  ;  for  what  congregation  have  been  so  long  composed, 
and  orderly,  under  stated  and  regular  ministrations,  as 
you  have  been  under  mine  ?  For  the  term  of  seventy 
years,  you  have  been  entirely  steady,  and  still,  no  one 
of  you  has  moved  the  breadth  of  a  hair.  It  is  true,  O 
ye  dry  bones,  that  a  superficial  observer  might  ascribe 
your  stillness  to  a  want  of  life.  Indeed,  when  I  have 
been  boasting  of  my  charge,  and  telling  abroad  how 
calm  and  composed  my  congregation  continue,  not 
withstanding  the  surrounding  agitations  of  a  troubled 
and  tumultuous  world,  it  has  been  broadly  hinted  to 
me  that  my  church  is  dead,  utterly  dead,  and  that  the 
stillness  there  is  the  stillness  of  death.  But,  O  ye  dry 
bones,  none  of  these  things  move  me.  I  scorn  calumny 
and  misrepresentation.  I  maintain  that  we  are  con 
servative  ;  not  dead,  but  highly  conservative.  A  mere 
itinerant  preacher,  or  transient  visitor,  cannot  judge  of 


THE    SKELETON    PREACHER.  131 

your  state  as  your  judicious  and  experienced  pastor 
can ;  and  he  puts  a  very  different  construction  on  the 
collected  calmness  and  regular  habits  that  have  charac 
terized  you  through  a  long  series  of  years;  yea,  the 
stability  and  composure  that  reign  among  you  are  the 
joy  of  his  heart,  and  the  theme  of  his  daily  exultation. 
But  I  must  proceed  to  the 

"  Second  characteristic.  O  ye  dry  bones,  I  am  ex 
ceedingly  gratified  with  the  uniformity  that  has  long 
prevailed  among  you.  Who  has  not  heard  that  con 
sistency  is  a  jewel  ?  Now,  O  ye  dry  bones,  you  are 
consistent ;  you  are  uniform  in  your  habits  ;  /  always 
know  where  to  find  you.  An  uncertain  church  I  can 
not  bear.  But  here  you  are  just  in  the  same  spot  where 
you  were  seventy  years  ago,  and  just  as  dry.  O,  what 
a  privilege  to  be  the  pastor  of  such  a  church  !  and  what 
a  privilege  for  a  church  to  have  such  a  preacher  !  The 
*  fits  and  starts,'  that  have  agitated  many  other  churches 
—  the  'spasmodic  awakenings,'  that  have  disturbed 
them  —  have  never  affected  you  in  the  least,  since  the 
happy  day  of  my  installation  as  your  pastor.  You 
have  slept  on,  O  ye  dry  bones,  and  taken  your  rest, 
from  month  to  month,  and  from  year  to  year.  Indeed, 
such  has  been  your  admirable  uniformity,  that  if  I  were 
called  on  to  say  which  year  of  my  popular  ministry 
among  you  has  been  most  notable  for  sound  sleeping, 
and  motionless,  stagnant  inactivity,  it  would  be  hard 
to  make  the  selection. 

"  In  this  respect,  O  ye  dry  bones,  you  have  been  a 
constant  source  of  comfort  and  consolation  to  me.  It 
must  be  confessed,  that  our  lot  has  fallen  to  us  in  the 
midst  of  a  restless  and  agitated  world.  The  kingdom 
of  nature,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  sadly  out  of  joint.  I 


132  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

have  no  doubt  that  it  is  in  consequence  of  the  fall ; 
but  I  find  that  the  wheels  of  nature  and  the  wheels  of 
time  have  a  mighty  propensity  to  be  in  motion.  In 
deed,  I  am  continually  disturbed  by  departures  from 
that  standard  of  excellence,  which  we  have  long  since 
set  up  in  our  l  model  congregation.''  The  changes  of 
morning  and  evening,  noon  and  night,  are  to  me  ex 
ceedingly  annoying.  How  much  more  desirable  would 
it  be  to  have  uniformity  I  And  as  light  is  fleeting  and 
transient  in  its  very  nature,  I  should  give  my  voice  for 
the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  perpetual,  unmiti 
gated  night.  I  long  for  uniformity.  The  clouds  of 
heaven,  also,  appear  restless,  and  fond  of  flitting  about : 
one  day  they  are  driving  over  the  face  of  the  sky,  and 
another  day  wholly  out  of  sight.  We  have  fair  weath 
er  and  foul,  clear  days  and  cloudy,  wet  days  and  dry 
days.  I  am  perplexed  with  mutability  in  the  kingdom 
of  nature.  I  have  heard  of  a  happy  period,  in  days  of 
old,  when  there  was  no  rain  for  three  years  and  six 
months.  What  delightful  uniformity  the  seasons  must 
have  had  at  that  time !  How  happy  the  lot  of  those 
who  lived  in  that  day  !  But  now  the  earth  is  distracted 
with  successive  changes.  The  streams  are,  at  one 
time,  so  low  as  to  show  the  pebbles  at  the  bottom  ; 
and  then  they  will  rise,  and  overflow  all  their  banks. 
The  restless  ocean  is  ebbing  and  flowing  every  day, 
and  the  earth  itself  is  constantly  varying.  Scarcely 
has  winter  subdued  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  estab 
lished  its  reign,  when  spring  bursts  forth,  and  sends 
out  its  buds,  and  wakes  its  flowers,  and  throws  its 
green  robes  over  'hill,  and  dale,  and  mountain-peak.' 
And  then  summer  comes,  with  its  harvests,  and  au 
tumn,  with  its  fruits.  Alas  for  the  mutability  that 


THE    SKELETON    PREACHER.  133 

prevails  in  the  world !  Were  it  not,  O  ye  dry  bones, 
that  you  have  been  in  no  condition  to  travel,  1  should 
long  since  have  proposed  that  I  and  my  church  would 
emigrate  to  the  north  —  to  the  region  of  perpetual  ice 
and  snow.  I  learn  that  there  is  delightful  uniformity 
in  that  country.  No  bud,  or  leaf,  or  blossom  vegetates 
there,  from  age  to  age.  Happy  they  who  dwell  in 
that  sweet  clime.  Ah,  the  sweetest,  beyond  all  doubt, 
on  which  the  sun  is  permitted  to  shine  !  But  we  have 
not  been  in  a  condition  to  emigrate  ;  and  therefore,  O 
ye  dry  bones,  allow  me  to  say,  as  your  honored  and 
much-esteemed  pastor,  that  when  I  have  been  vexed 
and  tortured  with  the  changes  and  revolutions  in  the 
natural  world,  I  have  found  comfort  and  consolation 
when  I  have  turned  to  you.  Ah,  such  delightful  uni 
formity  !  Here  you  are,  perfectly  motionless  and  cold 
and  dry ;  yes,  as  dry  as  you  were  seventy  years  ago. 
Admirable  congregation !  Surely  your  pastor  may 
exclaim,  l  To  me  the  inheritance  has  fallen  in  marvel 
lously  pleasant  places.' 

"  Thirdly.  O  ye  dry  bones,  another  feature  in  your 
condition  I  regard  as  peculiarly  favorable  :  that  is,  you 
are  so  entirely  free  from  animal  excitement.  Long 
experience  and  extensive  observation  have  convinced 
me  that  the  living  principle,  the  moving  principle,  is 
the  dangerous  principle  ;  and  I  have  found  the  perfec 
tion  of  prudence  among  dry  bones.  Never  have  I 
known  a  dry  bone  take  a  hasty  step,  make  a  rash,  in 
discreet  movement,  or  put  forth  precipitate  and  incon 
siderate  action.  Ah.  there  is  safety  about  dry  bones ! 
And  O  that  the  world  were  warned  of  the  danger  of 
rash,  hasty  action,  produced  by  animal  excitement !  " 

Here  I  discovered,  for  the  first  time,  a  number  of 
12 


134  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

shadowy  forms  flitting  and  bestirring  themselves  around 
the  skeleton  preacher.  On  closer  observation,  I  found 
that  they  were  skeletons,  also,  but  so  perfectly  fleshless 
and  bare,  and  the  bones  had  such  a  slim,  attenuated 
appearance,  that  they  might  have  been  mistaken  for 
shadows.  These,  I  learned,  were  volunteer  helpers  of 
the  pastor  —  skeletons  who  spent  their  time  in  eulo 
gizing  and  puffing  him  to  the  members  of  his  congre 
gation.  They  echoed  his  sentiments,  and  sung  his 
praises.  "Animal  excitement!"  they  exclaimed  all 
at  once,  as  soon  as  the  expression  fell-  from  the  skele 
ton  preacher  —  "animal  excitement!"  Then  each 
deputy  or  subaltern  skeleton  took  off  in  his  own  direc 
tion  among  the  dry  bones,  repeating,  "  Animal  excite 
ment  !  What  a  marvellous  skeleton  our  pastor  is  ! 
how  profound  !  how  talented  !  how  judicious  !  Ani 
mal  excitement !  O  ye  dry  bones,  beware  of  animal 
excitement !  "  Over  the  entire  valley  of  dry  bones 
could  be  heard  the  harsh,  husky  voice  of  the  deputy 
skeletons  —  "  Beware  of  animal  excitement !  beware  of 
animal  excitement  !  "  It  seemed  a  strange  and  need 
less  exhortation,  for  the  bones  were  very  dry.  There 
was  not  a  particle  of  flesh  on  them.  There  was  not  a 
fragment  of  sinew,  nerve,  or  tendon.  There  was  not 
a  drop  of  blood,  or  a  throbbing  pulse,  in  all  their  thou 
sands.  One  would  have  thought  that  a  more  appropri 
ate  exhortation  would  have  been  this  :  "  Beware  of 
mildew  and  total  decay !  beware  of  being  further 
bleached  by  the  sleet,  and  snow,  and  hail-storms,  to 
which  you  are  exposed !  beware  of  being  further 
parched  and  dried  by  the  torrid  rays,  which  pour  down 
upon  you  in  this  naked  valley  !  "  The  skeleton  pastor 
turned  the  hollow  sockets  in  his  dry  skull,  as  if  look- 


THE    SKELETON    PREACHER.  135 

ing  after  his  deputy  skeletons,  who  were  so  busy 
among  the  dry  bones ;  a  glare  of  hideous  satisfaction 
seemed  to  issue  from  those  dark  caverns,  as  he  surveyed 
his  helpers,  and  the  ghastly  smile  on  his  naked  cheek 
bone  assumed  unwonted  distinctness.  After  a  moment, 
he  resumed  his  discourse. 

"  Talk  as  you  will,"  he  exclaimed,  "  the  pastor  who 
encourages  the  breath  of  life  among  his  people  will 
have  trouble.  No  congregation  is  so  manageable,  so 
perfectly  under  the  control  of  its  pastor,  as  a  congre 
gation  of  dry  bones.  Show  me  a  church  whose  mem 
bers  have  flesh  on  their  bones,  blood  in  their  veins, 
and  a  heart  in  their  body.  —  a  church  whose  members 
have  eyes  and  ears,  brains  in  their  skull,  a  tongue  in 
their  head,  and  breath  in  their  bosom,  —  and  I  will 
show  you  a  church  subject  to  excitements,  and  varia 
tions,  and  ups  and  downs.  Yes,  such  a  church  will 
have  day  arid  night,  summer  and  winter,  cold  and  heat, 
seed-time  and  harvest ;  in  short,  there  will  be  no  end 
to  their  fluctuations.  O  ye  dry  bones,  I  must  exult  in 
your  stability,  your  uniformity,  your  perfect  exemption 
from  '  animal  excitement,'  through  all  the  years  of 
my  ministry  among  you.  Some  pastors  can  only  com 
mend  a  part  of  their  flock ;  but  I  can  commend  you 
all.  Though  you  are  very  many,  yet  you  are  very 
dry.  You  have  all  <  held  your  own,'  and  kept  free 
from  <  animal  excitement.'  Yes,  I  can  witness  in  your 
behalf,  that  in  all  my  seventy  years'  ministry  among 
you,  never  have  I  been  annoyed  with  breathing  lungs, 
a  beating  heart,  or  a  throbbing  pulse  ;  no  glow  of  heat, 
above  that  possessed  by  the  granite  rock,  has  passed 
over  you ;  never  has  there  been  a  drop  of  blood  in 
your  veins,  or  a  particle  of  flesh  or  muscle,  sinew  or 


136  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

nerve,  upon  you.  O  ye  dry  bones,  you  have  chosen, 
with  commendable  unanimity,  your  beloved  pastor  as 
your  pattern  and  your  model  ;  arid  each  bone  of  you  is 
naked,  and  cold,  and  dry  as  his  own  ;  and  each  skull 
of  you  as  perfectly  exempt  from  brains  as  the  great 
example  (modesty  will  scarcely  suffer  me  to  be  thus 
particular)  which  you  have  chosen  to  copy. 

"  Fourthly.  Once  more,  O  ye  dry  bones,  permit  me 
to  say,  that  I  admire  your  durability.  Here  you  are, 
much  the  same  as  you  were  seventy  years  ago.  Flesh 
will  fall  off,  blood  will  run  out,  vital  warmth  will  cool, 
and  life  itself  will  expire  ;  but  '  dry  bones '  hold  their 
own  admirably.  Indeed,  the  only  remains  we  have  of 
the  early  ages  are  in  the  form  of  bones  —  some  of 
them  of  most  gigantic  size.  Had  the  antediluvian 
churches,  like  mine,  been  composed  of  '  dry  bones,' 
only,  they  might  have  remained  to  this  day.  I  should 
like  to  know  how  those  troublesome  preachers,  who 
insist  on  having  flesh  on  the  bones,  and  blood  in  the 
veins,  breath  in  the  lungs,  and  life  in  the  heart,  would 
meet  this  argument.  Ah,  their  churches  cannot  stand 
the  test  of  time  !  The  heart  may  sicken,  and  the  life 
that  is  therein  may  die,  the  breath  may  depart,  the 
flesh  perish,  and  the  blood,  also ;  but  the  bones  !  Ah, 
there  is  durability,  especially  when  kept  '  very  dry  '  ! 
It  is  susceptible  of  demonstration,  that  the  drier  they 
are  kept,  the  more  durable  they  are.  He  that  wishes 
his  church  to  last,  let  him  keep  his  bones  '  very  dry.' 

"  It  is  certainly  commendable  in  every  preacher,  O 
ye  dry  bones,  to  know  himself.  Indeed,  ancient  phi 
losophers  declare,  that  the  maxim  '  Know  thyself  has 
been  handed  down  from  Jupiter.  In  this  respect,  O 
ye  dry  bones,  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  inform  you, 


THE  SKELETON  PREACHER.        137 

that  your  own  illustrious  preacher  has  succeeded  to 
admiration.  He  has  mastered  the  mystery  that  so 
long  puzzled  the  contemporaries  of  Samson ;  that  is,  he 
has  found  out  l  wherein  his  great  strength  lieth.'  He 
has  ascertained,  with  the  clearness  of  demonstration, 
that  his  enormous  talent  consists  not  so  much  in  ability 
to  do  any  good  himself,  as  to  find  fault  with  what 
others  do.  By  careful  experiments,  I  have  discovered 
that  fault-finding  is  a  business  that  can  be  set  up  on 
very  small  capital.  There  is  little  demand  for  intellect, 
learning,  or  piety,  in  order  to  set  up  the  establishment 
of  a  fault-finder.  Having  made  this  valuable  discov 
ery,  O  ye  dry  bones,  I  at  once  invested  all  my  available 
means  in  this  business.  I  find  that  the  delightful  work 
grows  upon  my  hands.  It  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  my 
genius.  O,  there  is  sublimity  in  fault-finding  !  In 
deed,  it  is  a  vocation  itself.  It  demands  all  the  energies 
of  the  mind.  And  hence  it  is  not  marvellous  that  those 
who  excel  in  that  business  can  do  nothing  else.  No 
man,  for  example,  can  expatiate  on  the  evils  of  revivals 
like  the  man  under  whose  preaching  revivals  never 
take  place.  No  man  can  dilate  on  the  danger  of  spu 
rious  conversions  like  the  man  under  whose  ministry 
there  are  no  conversions  of  any  kind.  Ah,  give  me  a 
fabric  of  <  dry  bones  '  to  creak,  and  clank,  and  cry  out 
against  '  protracted  meetings,  inquiry  meetings,  hasty 
conversions,'  and  ail  such  things.  Immortal  honor  to 
the  memory  of  St.  Jeroboam  !  (1  Kings  xii.  26—29.) 
"  You  must  be  aware,  O  ye  dry  bones,  that  this  is  a 
very  delicate  subject.  Indeed,  your  worthy  pastor  has 
had  to  endure  some  very  broad  hints  in  the  course  of 
his  labors.  Some  of  these,  in  fact,  have  amounted  to 
a  perfect  insinuation.  When  I  have  been  declaiming 
12* 


138  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

against  the  indiscretions  of  others,  impertinent  persons 
have  presumed  to  ask,  what  good  I  myself  had  done  ? 
what  kind  of  conversions  had  taken  place  under  my 
preaching  ?  To  such  rude  and  unseasonable  inquiries 
I  have  given  but  this  one  reply,  <  Ah,  my  friend,  the 
less  we  say  on  that  subject,  the  better.' 

"  It  will  be  acceptable  to  you,  O  ye  dry  bones,  to 
hear,  on  this  joyful  anniversary,  something  of  your 
esteemed  pastor's  experience  and  personal  history. 
The  history  of  your  pastor,  O  ye  dry  bones,  should  be 
a  source  of  comfort  and  consolation  to  a  church  in 
your  advanced  and  enviable  condition.  I  was  once 
encumbered  with  flesh  on  my  bones,  and  blood  in  my 
veins.  I  was  once  troubled  with  breath  in  my  nostrils, 
and  vital  warmth  in  my  heart.  But  a  period  came, 
when  I  was  vexed  by  the  discovery  that  the  labor  of 
other  preachers  was  very  successful.  I  felt  the  rising 
of  envy  and  jealousy.  I  resolved  to  oppose  revivals, 
especially  such  as  took  place  under  the  ministry  of 
others.  In  a  short  time,  I  had  gone  much  further  than 
I  at  first  intended.  I  had  invested  all  my  stock  in  this 
business.  I  had  become  a  regular  revival-fighter.  All 
that  I  could  now  do  in  relation  to  revivals  was  to  find 
fault,  raise  objections,  and  expatiate  on  their  evils. 
From  that  moment,  my  own  ministry  was  smitten 
with  barrenness !  Yes,  my  own  ministry  became 
bleak  and  desolate  as  the  mountains  of  Gilboa,  on 
which  l  there  is  no  rain,  neither  any  dew  ' !  From  that 
moment,  my  flesh  withered  away,  my  blood  dried  up, 
my  vitality  departed,  my  skin  cracked  and  fell  oif,  my 
bones  became  bare  and  '  very  dry  ;  '  and  I  have  since 
walked  among  the  churches  a  naked  skeleton,  my 
bones  '  very  dry.'  Yet  think  not,  O  ye  dry  bones, 


THE    SKELETON    PREACHER.  139 

that  I  complain.  I  am  much  pleased  with  my  present 
meagre  and  fleshless  condition.  It  is  a  condition  of 
great  power  ;  and  who  does  not  love  power  ?  Did  not 
the  seven  'lean  kine,'  in  Pharaoh's  dream,  eat  up  the 
seven  that  were  fat-fleshed  and  well-favored  ?  These 
lean  cattle,  meagre,  famished,  very  ill-favored  —  *  Such,' 
said  Pharaoh,  l  as  I  never  saw  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt 
for  badness ; '  that  eat  up  all  that  were  better  than 
themselves  —  were  certainly  very  promising  specimens. 
They  were  verging  toward  the  condition  of  '  dry  bones,' 
which  I  regard  as  absolute  consummation.  Ah,  if  you 
wish  every  thing  that  is  well-favored,  and  lovely,  and 
of  good  report,  utterly  eaten  up,  just  set  a  skeleton  of; 
*  dry  bones '  at  the  work,  and  it  will  soon  be  done ! " 

Here  the  hideous  monster  paused  in  his  discourse  ; 
and  in  a  paroxysm  of  greediness  that  was  frightful,  he 
snapped  repeatedly  around  to  the  right  and  left  with 
his  dry,  naked  teeth,  till  the  valley  rang  again.  Pres 
ently  he  resumed  his  discourse. 

"  Another  peculiarity,  O  ye  dry  bones,  in  the  history 
of  your  esteemed  pastor,  is  this  :  he  has  been  abselutely 
stationary.  For  seventy  years  he  has  kept  his  place. 
Dry  bones  are  admirable  in  this  respect.  There  is  no 
moving  about  in  them.  Many  pernicious  examples 
have  been  set  in  former  days.  There  was  one  Abra 
ham,  that  went  out  from  his  country,  his  kindred,  and 
his  father's  house,  in  order  to  lead  a  religious  life. 
What  fanaticism  !  Just  as  if  there  was  any  propriety 
in  <  going  into  all  the  world,'  in  order  to  promote  reli 
gion.  The  fact  is,  that  same  Abraham  seems  to  have 
been  a  very  restless  man.  He  went  from  Mesopotamia 
to  Haran,  thence  to  the  land  of  Canaan,  then  down  into 
Egypt,  then  back  to  Canaan,  and  then  into  the  coun- 


140  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

try  of  the  Philistines.  It  is  reported,  that  he  and  his 
family  '  confessed  that  they  were  strangers  and  pilgrims 
in  the  earth.'  Some  have  maintained,  that  at  these 
various  points  Abraham  was  laboring  as  a  missionary, 
or  as  an  evangelist.  But  one  thing  is  certain :  that  is, 
he  departed  essentially  from  that  model  of  perfection 
which  is  found  in  <  dry  bones.'  After  Abraham,  arose 
one  Moses,  a  very  unsettled  man.  Now  he  was  in 
Egypt,  now  in  Midian,  and  now  in  the  wilderness. 
And  even  when  in  the  wilderness,  he  repeatedly 
changed  his  place  —  a  most  injurious  example.  After 
Moses,  arose  one  Samuel,  who  positively  '  went  in  a 
circuit,  from  year  to  year,  to  Bethel  and  Gilgal,  to 
Mizpah  and  Ramah,'  performing  in  those  places  the 
duties  of  a  public  minister  of  religion.  Nor  was  the 
example  of  Elijah  one  whit  better.  In  him  we  find 
the  adage  verified,  that  the  ruling  passion  is  strong 
near  the  close  of  life  ;  for,  just  before  his  translation, 
he  took  Elisha  with  him,  and  went  on  religious  errands 
from  Gilgal  to  Bethel,  from  Bethel  to  Jericho,  and  from 
Jericho  to  Jordan.  Such  are  some  of  the  untoward 
examples,  O  ye  dry  bones,  which  your  model  preacher 
has  had  to  counteract  ;  and  although  they  have  been 
not  a  little  troublesome,  yet  he  has  been  able  to  remain 
stationary,  and  keep  his  bones  'very  dry.'  I  have 
been  grievously  annoyed,  of  late,  by  the  prophecy  of 
Daniel.  He  has  been  predicting,  that  in  the  latter  day 
'  many  shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be 
increased.'  This  Daniel  must  be  an  exceedingly  in 
discreet  man,  or  he  would  not  utter  such  predictions. 
They  are  calculated  to  disturb  dry  bones,  in  my  con 
dition.  I  am  resolved  to  commence  the  business  of 
prophesying,  too.  I  am  driven  to  it  in  self-defence. 


THE  SKELETON  PREACHER.        141 

My  prediction  is  this :  •  In  the  latter  day,  many  shall 
imitate  the  sublime  example  set  by  the  clucking  hen ! ' 
I  have  a  right  to  use  her  as  an  illustration.  Noah  had 
his  dove,  Elijah  had  his  ravens,  and  why  should  not 
the  skeleton  preacher  be  allowed  his  favorite  bird? 
That  bird  is  the  clucking  hen.  Ah,  when  I  see  her 
settle  down  on  her  own  nest,  and  push  every  egg  under 
her  own  wings,  and  then  raise  the  feathers  on  the  back 
of  her  head  and  neck,  and  peck  at  every  one  that  comes 
near  her,  I  am  ready  to  exclaim,  '  There  is  true  sub 
limity  !  there  is  an  example  worthy  of  all  imitation  ! ' 

"  Again,  O  ye  dry  bones,  your  judicious  pastor  has 
rattled  every  dry  bone  in  his  skeleton  frame,  to  keep 
down  special  effort  in  the  church,  revivals  of  religion, 
protracted  meetings,  and  all  such  things.  That  blun 
dering  man  Moses,  before  mentioned,  instituted  a  num 
ber  of  such  meetings,  which  were  attended  with  many 
and  sore  c  evils.'  At  the  feast  of  the  Passover,  at  the 
feast  of  Pentecost,  and  at  the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  the 
people,  in  great  numbers,  came  up  to  Jerusalem  to 
worship,  and  continued  their  religious  exercises  for 
seven  or  eight  days  in  succession.  In  the  time  of 
Hezekiah  king  of  Judah,  'a  very  great  congregation 
assembled  at  Jerusalem,  and  kept  the  feast  of  the  Pass 
over  seven  days.'  And  then  l  the  whole  assembly  took 
counsel  to  keep  other  seven  days ;  and  they  kept  other 
seven  days  with  gladness.'  (2  Chron.  xxx.  23.)  What 
extravagance  was  this  !  If  such  measures  are  suffered 
to  pass  without  rebuke,  who  can  tell  where  the  mis 
chief  will  end  ? 

"St.  Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat  —  immortal  honor 
to  his  memory !  — yes,  St.  Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat, 
is  the  first  man  recorded  in  history  who  took  a  de- 


fe 

142  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

cided  stand  against  protracted  meetings,  as  ordained 
by  Moses.  '  And  Jeroboam  said  in  his  heart,  Now 
shall  the  kingdom  return  to  the  house  of  David.  If 
this  people  go  up  to  do  sacrifice  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  at  Jerusalem,  then  shall  the  heart  of  this  people 
turn  again  unto  their  Lord,  even  unto  Rehoboam  king 
of  Judah,  and  they  shall  kill  me,  and  go  again  to  Re 
hoboam  king  of  Judah.  Whereupon  the  king  took 
counsel,  and  made  two  calves  of  gold,  and  said  unto 
them,  It  is  too  much  for  you  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  : 
behold  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which  brought  thee  up  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  he  set  the  one  in  Bethel, 
and  the  other  put  he  in  Dan.'  (1  Kings  xii.  26 — 29.) 
The  objection  of  St.  Jeroboam  to  protracted  meet 
ings,  was  not  that  they  would  injure  the  great  body  of 
the  people,  but  he  feared  that  they  might  diminish  the 
importance  of  a  certain  worshipful  individual,  whose 
aggrandizement  he  had  very  much  at  heart ;  and  rather 
than  hazard  any  thing  in  that  quarter,  he  '  took  coun 
sel,'  and  employed  his  utmost  ingenuity  to  induce  them 
to  forsake  the  altar  of  God,  and  worship  a  calf.  And  I 
have  known  other  instances,  O  ye  dry  bones,  in  which 
such  meetings  have  been  violently  opposed,  when  the 
secret  spring  of  action  was  anxiety  to  maintain  among 
the  people  the  worship  of  some  object  very  little  better 
than  Jeroboam's  calf. 

"Your  judicious  and  venerable  pastor,  O  ye  dry 
bones,  has  opposed,  both  by-  precept  and  example, 
'  sudden  conversions,'  (  hasty  admissions,'  and  every 
thing  in  that  line.  There  has  not  been  one  conversion 
under  my  preaching,  during  the  last  severity  years.  In 
all  that  time,  there  has  not  been  a  foot  or  a  finger  moved 
in  any  religious  duty.  Ah,  it  is  delightful  to  observe 


THE  SKELETON  PREACHER.        143 

how  long  and  how  carefully  duties  are  considered, 
before  there  is  any  movement  toward  obedience  among 
'  dry  bones.'  I  have  had  immense  success  in  holding 
back  my  congregation  from  precipitate  action.  St. 
Pharaoh  —  honor  to  his  memory  —  was  fully  aware  of 
the  '  evils  '  of  rapid  accessions  to  the  visible  church. 
He  commanded  the  old  women  in  Israel,  saying,  <  When 
a  son  is  born  in  Israel,  then  ye  shall  kill  him.'  Israel 
was  then  the  visible  church  ;  and  finding  that  this  edict 
did  not  destroy  them  fast  enough,  he  charged  all  his 
people,  saying,  '  Every  son  that  is  born  ye  shall  cast 
into  the  river.'  (Ex.  i.  16,  22.)  Thoughtful,  judi 
cious,  amiable  St.  Pharaoh  !  He  knew  that  the  begin 
nings  of  life  in  an  infant  are  extremely  tender  and 
delicate.  He  knew  —  sound  and  discreet  man  —  that 
a  withered  old  granny  had  strength  enough  to  choke  a 
young  baby  to  death.  Or,  if  that  failed,  he  knew  that 
the  monsters  of  the  river  of  Egypt  could  crush  them 
between  their  hideous  jaws.  Even  now,  my  mind 
delights  to  contemplate  him  in  the  noble  stand  that  he 
took  against  the  too  rapid  increase  of  the  visible  church. 
I  behold  him  standing  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  his 
venerable  form  drawn  up  to  its  full  height,  while  he 
pours  forth  this  sublime  soliloquy :  *  Ha !  talk  of 
Abraham's  seed  becoming  countless  as  the  stars  of 
heaven  !  talk  of  Israel  being  '  fruitful,  and  multiplying 
exceedingly  ' !  Behold  the  fate  of  their  children !  yes, 
the  children  of  the  church,  over  whose  birth  there  was 
such  exultation.  See  the  quivering  limbs  of  that  one 
in  the  midst  of  the  river,  in  the  mouth  of  that  vora 
cious  crocodile  !  Why,  the  jaws  of  the  huge  monster 
and  the  waters  all  around  are  stained  and  gory  with  its 
blood.  And  I  have  the  best  authority  for  saying,  that 


144  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

on  land  many  infants  who  were  born  are  dead.  The 
life  that  was  in  them  was  so  feeble,  that  a  few  minutes' 
choking,  by  a  withered  old  granny,  could  stop  their 
breath  forever.  The  back  of  my  hand  to  such  boasted 
births  in  Israel  as  these  ! '  Such  was  the  soliloquy  of 
St.  Pharaoh,  while  he  well  knew  that  the  destruction 
of  the  lives  of  these  young  Israelites  was  his  studied 
arid  favorite  aim.  And  sweet  experience  has  taught 
me,  O  ye  dry  bones,  that  the  most  effective  way  to 
dishonor  and  disgrace  a  revival  in  the  church  is  to 
choke  the  young  converts  to  death,  while  the  early 
dawn  of  spiritual  life  in  them  is  yet  tender  and  deli 
cate.  A  naked  skeleton  preacher,  who  judiciously 
employs  his  <  dry  bones,'  can  do  much  of  this ;  and 
then  he  can  point  to  the  destruction  which  he  himself 
has  made,  and  triumphantly  exclaim,  '  There  is  your 
revival !  there  is  the  end  of  your  converts  ! '  Let  the 
memory  of  St.  Pharaoh  be  affectionately  embalmed  in 
the  hearts  of  all  revival-fighting  ministers. 

"  I  must  further  observe,  O  ye  dry  bones,  that  I  am 
delighted  with  your  deliberation.  You  avoid  agitating 
scenes  and  agitating  subjects.  You  are  deliberate. 
There  is  no  sudden  or  rash  movement  with  you.  I 
understand  that  Ezekiel  has  been  preaching  about 
churches  'waking  up,'  'prodigals  returning,'  'spiritual 
resurrections,'  and  things  in  that  line.  But,  O  ye  dry 
bones,  such  things  are  agitating  in  their  very  nature. 
You  have  guarded  against  them.  Ezekiel  has  been 
preaching  that  the  angels  in  heaven  rejoice  when  the 
wicked  turn  from  their  wickedness  ;  that  the  morning 
stars  sing  together  when  the  dead  awake  to  life.  But, 
O  ye  dry  bones,  you  have  stood  aloof  from  Ezekiel 
and  all  his  enthusiasm  j  you  have  let  the  angels  and 


THE    SKELETON    PREACHER.  145 

the  morning  stars  alone.  No  doubt  they  are  doing 
very  well,  up  where  they  properly  belong.  It  would 
be  very  l  indiscreet '  to  drag  their  attention  down  to 
earth,  and  tamper  with  their  sensibilities.  You  have 
allowed  the  angels  to  sing  their  own  songs  without 
interruption,  while  you  have  remained  admirably  cold, 
and  dead,  and  dry.  And  your  beloved  pastor  has  fully 
sympathized  with  you  in  all  things.  He  has  been 
cold  among  the  cold,  dead  among  the  dead,  and  dry 
among  the  dry. 

11  And  beyond  all  this,  O  ye  dry  bones,  it  should  be 
mentioned  to  your  praise,  that  you  have  been  delight 
fully  exempt  from  ' backslidings,'  'declensions,'  and 
1  falling  away.'  You  know,  O  ye  dry  bones,  how 
many  churches,  after  seasons  of  revival,  have  been 
dishonored  by  *  backsliding '  among  their  members, 

*  declensions,'  &c.     From  these  '  evils  of  revivals '  you 
have  been  marvellously  free.     The  church  which  takes 
no  forward  step  is  proof  against  backsliding.     Who 
ever  saw  blighted  blossoms  on  trees  that  were  dead 
and  dry?      I   challenge   investigation.      What  living 
church,  for  the  last  seventy  years,  has  been  so  entirely 
free  from  cases  of  backsliding  as  my  model  church  of 

*  dry  bones '  ? 

"  In  the  last  place,  O  ye  dry  bones,  another  score  on 
which  you  are  entitled  to  commendation  is  this :  you 
have  been  satisfied  with  my  preaching,  and  have  never 
gone  to  hear  any  one  else.  Some,  it  is  true,  have 
called  me  a  dead  preacher ;  but  I  have  not  been  too 
dead  for  you.  You  have  been  satisfied  with  my  ser 
mons.  They  have  been  uniform.  None  of  them 
have  made  any  impression  on  the  audience  :  therefore 
they  have  had  the  charm  and  the  graces  of  uniformity. 
13 


146  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK, 

It  is  wearing  on  a  minister  to  feel  his  subject,  or  to 
care  about  the  salvation  of  his  hearers.  I  say  it  is 
wearing.  I  have  been  most  delightfully  exempt  from 
1  excitement '  on  such  subjects.  I  have  kept  perfectly 
cool,  and  have  kept  my  bones  c  very  dry.'  And 
beyond  all  this,  let  me  declare,  O  ye  dry  bones,  that 
the  admirable  condition  in  which  you  now  are,  is 
the  result  of  my  own  ministry  exclusively.  /  have 
called  in  no  foreign  aid.  Your  skeleton  preacher  ab 
hors  that  practice.  /  have  allowed  of  no  extra  means. 
I  have  jogged  on  just  in  my  own  way.  Can  ye  believe 
it,  posterity !  By  the  dint  of  my  own  marvellous  genius, 
I  have  kept  my  bones,  and  the  bones  of  all  my  church, 
'  very  dry.'  O  ye  dry  bones,  you  have  kept  around 
your  own  minister,  and  you  have  refused  to  run  after 
transient  men,  itinerant  preachers,  missionaries,  or  evan 
gelists.  They  talk  about  the  duty  of  '  going  into  all 
the  world ; '  but  they  have  no  business  here.  This  is 
no  part  of  the  world.  This  is  '  the  valley  of  dry 
bones.'  But  ha  !  what  form  is  that  approaching  my 
congregation  ?  "  Here  the  skeleton  preacher  raised 
his  hollow  eye-sockets,  as  if  looking  intently,  and  then 
exclaimed,  "The  prophet  Ezekiel !  that  fatal  disturber 
of  dead  churches ;  and  he  is  coming  here,  as  sure  as 
my  bones  are  dry  !  "  Here  the  skeleton  preacher  made 
a  sign  with  his  long,  bony  fingers,  to  the  deputy  skele 
tons  already  mentioned  ;  for  I  learned  that  there  was  a 
certain  kind  of  work  that  he  wished  to  have  done  in 
his  congregation,  and  he  would  set  these  subalterns  at 
it,  though  he  was  rather  afraid  to  risk  his  reputation  by 
engaging  in  it  himself.  The  deputies,  having  received 
the  signal,  darted  speedily  among  the  congregation  of 
dry  bones,  clattering  every  where  —  "  The  prophet 
Ezekiel  is  coming  !  Don't  go  to  hear  him  !  He  is  a 


THE  SKELETON  PREACHEK.        147 

mere  transient  preacher  — only  an  evangelist.     He  has 

a  few  subjects  on  which  he  can  preach  tolerably  well ; 

but  he  can't  stay  long  in  one  place.     He  don't  last 

like   our  admirable   preacher  of  '  dry  bones  ' !  "      In 

this  style  these    deputy  skeletons  were  tattling  and 

gabbling  in  all  directions,  when  the  whole  valley  was 

waked  and  electrified  by  the  clear,  strong,  trumpet-like 

voice  of  Ezekiel  —  "  O  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word 

of  the  Lord  !  "     And  immediately  there  was  a  noise  ; 

and  behold  there  was  a  shaking,  and  the  bones  came 

together,  bone  to  his  bone.      The  skeleton  preacher 

beheld  these  movements  with  the  utmost  alarm  and 

perturbation.     He   stamped  on  the  naked  earth  with 

his  skeleton  foot,  until  the  dry  bones  clanked  again. 

«  Order  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  I  call  to  order  !     This  is 

my  congregation.     I  will  sanction  no  such  measures 

as  these.     Order  !  order  !  I  call  to  order  !  "     But  the 

shaking  went  on,  and  the  bones  came  together,  bone 

to  his  bone  ;   and  the  prophet  Ezekiel  continued  his 

address  — "  O  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the 

Lord.     Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  unto  these  dry  bones, 

<  Behold,  I  will  cause  breath  to  enter  into  you,  and  ye 

shall  live ;  and  I  will  lay  sinews  upon  you,  and  will 

bring  up  flesh  upon  you,  and  cover  you  with  skin,  and 

put  breath  into  you,  and  ye  shall  live ;  and  ye  shall 

know  that  I  am  the  Lord.'  "     And  while  the  prophet 

Ezekiel  spoke  thus,  lo  !  the  sinews  and  the  flesh  came 

up  upon  them,  and  the  skin  covered  them  above ;  but 

there  was  no  breath  in  them.     "Ha!  "  exclaimed  the 

skeleton  preacher,  "they  are  not  alive,  after  all  — a 

mere   <  spasmodic   movement '  —  nothing  but  'animal 

excitement.'      I   thought   it    would   amount   to   this. 

Here's  all  our  ancient  order  of  things  broken  up,  con- 


148  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

fusion  and  novelties  introduced,  and  nothing  gained  at 
last  —  a  mere  c  spasmodic  awakening  '  —  nothing  but 
1  animal  excitement.'  "  And  here  he  gave  the  sign  to 
his  deputy  skeletons  —  "Discredit  it,  discredit  it,  all 
you  can."  Away  went  the  deputy  skeletons  through 
the  crowd,  tattling,  "  No  revival !  no  revival !  only 
spasmodic  awakening !  nothing  but  animal  excite 
ment  !  "  But  just  now  they  were  startled  and  stunned 
by  the  powerful  voice  of  Ezekiel,  with  which  the 
whole  valley  rang  again  —  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God, 
Come  from  the  four  winds,  O  breath,  and  breathe 
upon  these  slain,  that  they  may  live  ;  "  and  lo !  the 
breath  came  into  them,  and  they  lived,  and  stood  upon 
their  feet  —  an  exceeding  great  army.  And  there  was 
glory  to  God  in  the  highest.  And  there  was  the  joy 
of  life  from  the  dead.  The  brother  greeted  the  brother 
redeemed  from  the  grave.  The  father  hailed,  blessed, 
and  embraced  the  son.  Glad  angels  spread  their  rain 
bow  wings  over  the  enrapturing  scene,  and  sung,  "  The 
dead  is  alive,  and  the  lost  is  found." 

As  for  the  skeleton  preacher,  he  escaped  from  the 
living  multitude ;  then  turned,  and  gazed  over  the 
scene  with  more  than  fiendish  indignation.  He 
gnashed  and  ground  his  naked  teeth,  struck  his  bony 
hand  on  the  dry  ribs  of  his  breast,  then  turned,  and 
set  his  face  for  the  Valley  of  the  Son  of  Hinnom,  else 
where  called  Tophet,  muttering,  as  he  went  along, 
"  Yes,  this  is  the  result  of  the  revival.  I  am  unsettled. 
The  relationship  between  me  and  this  church  is  dis 
solved.  Perdition  on  such  revivals!  This  is  the 
result  of  allowing  such  evangelists  as  Ezekiel  to  roam 
over  the  country,  preaching.  Perdition  on  such  revi 
vals  !  Yes,  I'm  unsettled ;  and  now  I  must  look  out 


THE    SKELETON    PREACHER.  149 

for  another  location."  As  the  skeleton  preacher  went 
muttering  along  toward  the  Valley  of  Tophet,  he  was 
met  by  one  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets,  who  perfectly 
understood  the  whole  case.  He  was  a  plain,  straight 
forward,  out-spoken  man,  ardently  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  God  and  the  salvation  of  men.  He  heard  the  mur- 
murings  of  the  skeleton  for  a  few  moments,  and  his 
anger  was  kindled,  and  he  thus  addressed  him  :  "  Mea 
gre,  miserable  skeleton  !  are  you  raving  and  wrathful 
because  your  great  congregation  has  awaked  to  life, 
and  your  control  over  them  is  at  an  end  ?  Do  you 
think  that  the  great  Majesty  of  heaven  planned  the 
scheme  of  redemption  in  eternity,  and  established  his 
beloved  church  on  earth,  for  no  higher  object  than  that 
such  a  wretched  rackheap  of  dry  bones  as  you  should 
be  bolstered  up  in  some  comfortable  location  ?  Do 
you  think  that  all  the  wheels  of  creation,  providence, 
and  redemption  should  be  stopped,  for  fear  that  such  a 
foul,  frightful  scarecrow  as  you  should  be  driven  from 
its  roost  !  Wretched  skeleton !  What  madness  has 
possessed  thee  !  What  worse  than  demon  has  entered 
into  thee  !  Yes,  you're  unsettled,  and  deservedly  so. 
You  attempted  to  hurl  back  the  Spirit  of  the  Almighty. 
You  lifted  up  your  dry  bones  to  resist  the  growing 
conquests  of  the  glorious  Immanuel.  You're  unset 
tled  j  yes,  because  you  hated  light,  and  hated  life. 
You  continued  dead,  and  your  bones  very  dry ;  and 
you  wished  to  keep  all  as  dead  and  dry  as  yourself. 
Why  did  not  you  hear  the  word  of  God  ?  Why  did 
not  you  awake  to  life  ?  Why  did  not  you  have  flesh 
and  sinews,  and  skin  cover  your  dry  bones  ?  Why 
did  not  you  receive  the  breath  of  heaven,  and  live  ? 
You  might  then  have  remained  in  the  congregation 
13* 


150  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

of  the  living.  You  are  cast  out,  because  there  is  no 
breath  in  you.  Your  bones  are  fleshless,  frightful, 
and  very  dry.  Avaunt,  wretched  skeleton  !  "  The 
chop-fallen  skeleton  preacher  made  no  reply,  but  went 
on  his  way  toward  the  Valley  of  Tophet.  The  en 
trance  of  the  valley  was  dark  and  dismal.  Heavy 
clouds  hung  over  it,  and  shut  out  the  light  of  heaven. 
The  exhalations  of  the  valley  arose  like  columns  of 
ascending  smoke,  and  from  the  depths  within  sounds 
issued  like  weeping,  and  wailing,  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
The  skeleton  approached.  His  "  ruling  passion  was 
strong  "  up  to  the  very  moment  when  he  entered  the 
gloomy  vale.  "  This,"  he  exclaimed,  "  verifies  the 
doctrine  I  have  maintained  for  years.  The  conversion 
of  souls  costs  too  much,  and  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead  costs  too  much.  Here  Pm  unsettled.  I  must 
look  out  for  a  new  location ;  and  there  is  little  likeli 
hood  that  I  shall  better  my  condition.  Perdition  on 
revivals  !  Tell  me  not  that  God  is  honored,  the  Re 
deemer  glorified,  sinners  saved,  the  dead  alive,  the  lost 
found,  the  angels  rejoicing.  What  are  all  these  things 
to  me  ?  Here  is  an  evil  that  outweighs  them  all  — 
Pm  unsettled  !  Perdition  on  revivals  !  "  Muttering 
and  blaspheming  thus,  while  he  gnashed  his  naked 
teeth,  the  skeleton  plunged  into  the  horrible  valley, 
and  I  saw  him  no  more. 


THE    LITTLE    AUGER.  151 


THE    LITTLE    AUGER   AND    KING 
SOLOMON. 


AN    EXTRACT   FROM    THE   « BOOK    OF  THE  ACTS  OF  SOLO 
MON,"  MENTIONED  1  KINGS  XI.  41. 

Now  it  came  to  pass,  while  King  Solomon  was  build 
ing  the  house  of  the  Lord  at  Jerusalem,  that  very 
many  tools  and  instruments  were  employed  by  the 
king  in  this  great  work.  "  And  King  Solomon  raised 
a  levy  out  of  all  Israel ;  and  the  levy  was  thirty  thou 
sand  men.  And  he  sent  them  to  Lebanon,  ten  thou 
sand  a  month  by  courses  ;  a  month  they  were  in  Leba 
non,  and  two  months  at  home.  And  Adoniram  was 
over  the  levy.  And  Solomon  had  threescore  and  ten 
thousand  that  bare  burdens,  and  fourscore  thousand 
hewers  in  the  mountains;  beside  the  chief  of  Solo 
mon's  officers  which  were  over  the  work,  three  thou 
sand  and  three  hundred,  which  ruled  over  the  people 
that  wrought  in  the  work.  And  the  king  commanded, 
and  they  brought  great  stones,  costly  stones,  and  hewed 
stones,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  house.  And  Solo 
mon's  builders  and  Hiram's  builders  did  hew  them, 
and  the  st one-square rs  :  so  they  prepared  timber  and 
stones  to  build  the  house."  "  And  this  is  the  reason 
of  the  levy  which  King  Solomon  raised  ;  for  to  build 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  his  own  house,  and  Millo, 
and  the  wall  of  Jerusalem,  and  Hazor,  and  Megiddo, 


152  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

and  Gezer.  For  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt  had  gone  up, 
and  taken  Gezer,  and  burnt  it  with  fire,  and  slain  the 
Canaanites  that  dwelt  in  the  city,  and  given  it  for  a 
present  unto  his  daughter,  Solomon's  wife.  And  Solo 
mon  built  Gezer."  "And  he  built  Tadmor  in  the  wil 
derness,  and  all  the  store-cities,  which  he  built  in 
Hamath.  Also  he  built  Beth-horon  the  upper,  and 
Beth-horon  the  nether,  fenced  cities,  with  walls, 
gates,  and  bars;  and  Baalath,  and  all  the  store-cities 
that  Solomon  had,  and  all  the  chariot-cities,  and  the 
cities  of  the  horsemen,  and  all  that  Solomon  desired 
to  build  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  Lebanon,  and  throughout 
all  the  land  of  his  dominion."  (1  Kings  v.  13;  ix. 
15—17.) 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  among  the  great  variety 
of  instruments  employed  in  building  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  there  was  a  little  auger,  that  had  a  spirit  of  high 
ambition.  It  is  not  more  strange  that  a  little  auger 
should  have  a  spirit  of  high  ambition,  than  that  the 
trees,  in  Jotham's  time,  should  go  forth  to  anoint  a 
king  over  them,  and  that  the  olive,  the  fig-tree,  the 
vine,  and  the  bramble,  should  converse  together  on 
the  subject.  (Judges  ix.  8 — 15.)  So  this  little  auger 
was  greatly  troubled  with  an  ambitious  spirit  —  the 
same  spirit  that  has  often  proved  a  source  of  anguish 
and  trouble  among  the  children  of  men. 

Now,  it  came  to  pass,  that  on  a  certain  day  King 
Solomon  came  up  to  look  upon  the  workmen,  and  to 
see  the  progress  of  the  work.  And  behold,  as  the 
king  was  passing  near  the  little  auger,  it  opened  its 
mouth  and  hailed  him,  saying,  "  Hear !  hear  !  that  I 
may  speak  to  thee,  great  king  of  Jerusalem." 

Ki'ng  Solomon  stopped,  and  looked  upon  it.     "  Ha  !  " 


THE    LITTLE    AUGER.  153 

said  the  king  ;  "  what  have  we  got  here  ?  A  little 
auger,  straightening  itself  up  for  a  speech !  But  it  is 
not  more  strange,"  continued  he,  reconciling  himself 
to  the  singular  phenomenon  —  "  it  is  not  more  strange 
than  that  old  Pharaoh's  bad  corn  should  eat  up  all  his 
good  corn."  (Gen.  xli.  7.)  Then  addressing  the  little 
auger,  which  was  still  standing  erect  upon  a  work 
bench,  drawn  up  to  its  utmost  height  —  "  What  have 
you  to  say  to  the  king  ? " 

"  Is  not  this  house,"  said  the  little  auger,  "  which 
you  are  building  to  the  name  of  the  God  of  Israel, 
designed  to  be  very  great  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Solomon  ;  "  to  quote  the  language  of 
my  venerable  father,  David,  *  The  house  that  is  to 
be  builded  for  the  Lord  must  be  exceeding  magnifi- 
cal,  of  fame  and  of  glory  throughout  all  countries.' " 
(1  Chron.  xxii.  5.) 

"  Great  king,"  continued  the  little  auger,  "  I  beseech 
you  to  make  me  the  only  instrument  that  shall  be  em 
ployed  in  building  this  famous  temple.  I  should  love  to 
have  all  the  honor.  I  am  grieved  deeply  with  the  present 
state  of  things.  I  see  the  workmen  every  day  handling 
immense  crowbars,  great  axes,  long  steel  saws,  ham 
mers,  chisels,  wedges,  planes,  and  an  almost  countless 
variety  of  implements,  whose  shape  and  fashion  differ 
widely  from  my  own.  Now,  great  king,  I  have  studied 
the  subject  thoroughly  ;  and  I  have  felt  deeply ;  and  I 
must  say,  that  these  instruments  are  all  wrong.  They 
are  useless,  and  worse  than  useless.  Great  king,  look 
at  me!" — here  the  little  auger  assumed  the  tallest 
attitude,  and  appeared  to  entertain  marvellous  concep 
tions  of  its  own  consequence,  as  though  it  were  pro 
digious —  "great  king,  look  at  me!  Am  not  I  a 


154  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

model  instrument  1  Am  not  I  the  only  instrument 
that  ought  to  be  honored  with  bearing  a  part  in  the 
erection  of  this  famous  temple  ?  Now,  therefore,  O 
king,  hear  my  request,  and  grant  my  petition.  Estab 
lish  thou  a  royal  statute,  and  make  a  firm  decree,  that 
every  crowbar,  poleaxe,  steel  saw,  broadaxe,  hammer, 
chisel,  plane,  wedge,  and  each  and  all  other  instruments 
whatever,  shall  be  heated,  hammered,  and  twisted,  until 
they  are  brought  into  exact  conformity  with  that  model 
of  perfection,  the  little  auger  ;  and  further,  let  the  royal 
decree  go  forth  from  the  king's  palace,  sealed  with  the 
king's  ring,  that  should  any  tool  or  implement,  great 
or  small,  attempt  to  stand  on  its  reserved  rights,  or 
should  it  shrink  from  the  process  of  assimilation,  or  on 
any  account  fail  to  have  itself  transformed  into  the 
likeness  of  the  model  instrument  —  a  little  auger  — 
each  ajnd  every  such  refractory,  obstinate,  and  contu 
macious  instrument  shall,  without  favor  or  affection, 
be  banished  from  the  dominions  of  King  Solomon 
forever,  and  suffered  to  have  no  share  in  building  the 
temple  to  the  honor  of  the  great  name  of  the  God  of 
Israel." 

"  Little  auger,"  said  the  king,  "  I  have  heard  your 
speech  with  mingled  emotions  of  astonishment  and 
pity.  It  is  true,  that  you  have  an  important  part  to 
act  in  the  building  of  this  illustrious  temple  ;  other 
wise  you  would  never  have  been  forged  and  fashioned 
out  of  the  crude  ore  from  which  you  were  taken. 
Yes,  the  part  that  you  are  called  to  sustain  in  the  erec 
tion  of  this  house  is  not  only  important,  but,  I  may  say, 
it  is  commendable,  hono  rable  ;  but  what  ever  put  the 
idle  conceit  into  your  little  head,  that  you  are  the  only 
instrument  needed  in  the  putting  up  of  this  mighty 


THE    LITTLE    AUGER.  155 

structure,  or  that  you  are  the  model  instrument  ? 
There  is  much,  very  much,  to  be  done  in  forwarding 
this  building,  for  which  you,  little  auger,  have  no  capa 
city  whatever  —  work  that  is  essential  to  the  great 
enterprise,  and  that  is  wholly  beyond  your  tiny  powers. 
Behold  that  immense  wedge  of  iron,  and  that  great 
battering-engine,  by  which  it  is  driven  into  the  moun 
tain  quarry,  to  move  the  huge  masses  of  stone  from 
their  ancient  bed.  Could  you  act  the  part  of  that 
strong  battering-engine,  or  that  great  wedge  of  iron  ? 
See  that  heavy  sledge,  which  can  break  the  rock  in 
pieces ;  that  great  iron  lever,  that  can  lift  a  weight  that 
is  beyond  the  strength  of  threescore  men.  Look  upon 
that  keen-edged  axe,  that  can  hew  down  the  tall  cedar 
of  Lebanon ;  and  that  bright  saw  of  steel,  that  can 
split  the  block  of  marble  that  is  seven  cubits  thick  and 
forty  cubits  long.  Would  you  have  all  these,  and 
many  other  necessary  and  valuable  instruments,  ban 
ished  from  the  temple  service  forever,  merely  to  gratify 
the  senseless  whim  and  foolish  ambition  of  a  little 
auger  ?  Tell  it  not  in  Gath !  Publish  it  not  in  the 
streets  of  Askelon!  And  now,"  said  the  wise  king, 
"  allow  me,  little  auger,  to  show  you  a  more  excellent 
way.  Be  content  to  pass  for  what  you  are,  and  never 
take  the  flattering  unction  to  your  soul,  that  you  shall 
be  able  to  pass  for  what  you  are  not. 

"  The  great  Architect  of  earth  and  heaven  has  not 
made  all  men  alike.  There  is  a  vast  variety  of  talents 
and  of  gifts  among  them.  Yet  he  has  use  for  them 
all.  And  each  man,  who  is  willing  to  do  his  duty, 
and  honor  his  Creator,  is  important  and  honorable  in 
his  place.  So  in  the  building  of  this  great  temple. 
Many  and  various  instruments  are  needed.  No  one 


156  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

should  aspire  to  be  considered  the  only  instrument,  or 
the  model  instrument.  Each  is  important  and  respecta 
ble  in  its  place.  Bear  this  in  mind,  little  auger.  Do 
your  duty,  and  be  contented  in  your  station ;  and  fret 
not  your  little  soul  because  others  can  render  service 
of  which  you  are  altogether  incapable." 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.  157 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


ABRAHAM. 

A  VERY  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  true  religion 
might  be  drawn  from  the  fact,  that  in  no  place  does  the 
human  soul  unfold  its  powers  to  such  perfection  as  it 
does  in  that  land  where  the  light  of  revelation  shines. 
Dr.  Young  remarks,  concerning  heathen  Greece  and 
Rome, that  "half  our  learning  is  their  epitaph."  The 
fame  of  notable  men  who  have  risen  in  the  heathen 
world  has  been  blazed  abroad  in  Christian  countries  ; 
and  very  often  it  would  appear,  that  even  the  children 
of  the  church  are  not  aware  that,  in  all  the  attributes 
of  true  greatness,  no  men,  who  have  ever  lived  amidst 
the  darkness  of  idolatry,  will  compare  with  the  men 
who  have  worshipped  the  God  of  the  Bible.  "  What 
manner  of  men  were  they  whom  ye  slew  at  Tabor  ? " 
said  the  victorious  Gideon  to  Zebah  and  Zalmunna, 
the  two  kings  of  Midian.  And  they  answered,  "  As 
thou  art,  so  were  they  ;  each  one  resembled  the  chil 
dren  of  a  king."  And  he  said,  "  They  were  my 
brethren."  (Judges  viii.  18,  19.)  Of  Jehoshaphat, 
the  king  of  Judah,  it  is  recorded,  that  "  his  heart  was 
lifted  up  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord."  Indeed,  it  is  the 
uniform  doctrine  of  the  Bible,  that  true  religion  exalts 
the  soul  of  man.  I  might  go  into  specifications  ;  true 
religion  exalts, 
14 


158  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

1.  The  thoughts  of  man,  from  low  and  grovelling 
objects,  to  God,  and  heaven,  and  eternity. 

2.  True  religion  exalts  the  affections  of  man. 

3.  It  exalts  the  hopes  of  man. 

4.  It  exalts  the  aims  of  man. 

5.  It  exalts  the  destiny  of  man. 

Should  we  wonder,  then,  that,  under  the  light  and 
influences  of  this  religion,  men  have  arisen  whose 
greatness  the  church  may  contemplate  with  admiration 
and  with  joy  ?  Take  Abraham,  for  example. 

How  great  was  his  faith  in  God !  Idolatry,  in  the 
age  in  which  he  lived,  was  rampant  throughout  all 
surrounding  lands.  Fashion,  wealth,  power,  respecta 
bility,  public  sentiment,  were  all  arrayed  against  the 
cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  ;  yet  in  such  circum 
stances  Abraham  would  believe  and  obey  God.  He 
would  face  a  frowning  world.  He  would  stand  as  a 
rock  amidst  the  billows  of  the  rolling  ocean. 

Abraham  was  a  man  of  great  decision  of  character. 
When  the  Lord  said,  "  Get  thee  out  from  thy  country, 
and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father's  house, 
unto  a  land  that  I  will  show  thee,"  he  immediately 
obeyed  the  heavenly  call,  and  "  went  out,  not  knowing 
whither  he  went,"  but  feeling  only  that  God  was  his 
leader  and  his  guide.  There  was  no  parley,  no  hesita 
tion  with  him  ;  no  "  conferring  with  flesh  and  blood." 
An  objector  would  have  said,  "  Cannot  I  serve  God 
here  as  well  as  in  another  place  ?  My  country  is  dear 
to  me.  I  love  my  native  land.  I  delight  in  these 
green  hills,  these  fruitful  vales,  and  these  limpid 
streams,  where  first  I  became  conscious  of  existence. 
The  graves  of  my  ancestors  are  here.  My  country  is 
dear  to  me,  my  kindred  dearer,  my  father's  house  dear- 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.          159 

est  of  all.  Why  should  I  go  to  another  land,  in  order 
to  serve  God  ? "  Not  so  reasoned  Abraham.  His 
decision  was  immediate  and  final  —  "I  will  obey  the 
divine  command,  and  commit  consequences  to  God." 

In  like  manner  he  acted  when  called  to  offer  up  his 
only  son  Isaac  on  the  altar.  A  wavering  mind  would 
have  said,  "  There  must  be  some  strange  mistake  in 
this  command.  Offer  up  Isaac  on  the  altar  !  Why,  it 
is  inconsistent  with  God's  promise,  that  Isaac  shall  be 
the  head  of  a  great  nation.  It  is  inconsistent  with  the 
hope  of  the  saints,  that  the  Messiah  shall  arise  from 
among  the  descendants  of  Isaac.  It  is  at  variance 
with  that  paternal  affection  which  God  hath  implanted 
in  every  father's  heart.  It  will  bring  a  reproach  on  the 
true  religion ;  for  the  heathen  around  will  confound 
the  act  with  the  sacrifices  offered  to  Moloch,"  &c.,&c. 
Such  would  have  been  the  cavillings  of  unbelief.  But 
to  Abraham's  mind  one  point  was  divinely  clear,  to 
wit :  It  is  the  command  of  God.  "  Yes,  the  command 
of  God,  who  sees  the  consistency  of  his  own  ways, 
though  they  be  too  wonderful  for  me.  It  is  the  com 
mand  of  God,  who  gave  me  Isaac  and  all  the  blessings 
which  I  have  enjoyed.  It  is  the  command  of  God, 
who  redeemed  my  soul,  and  on  whom  all  my  hopes 
depend  for  time  and  for  eternity.  It  is  the  command 
of  God,  and  I  hasten  to  obey."  And  Abraham  rose 
up  early  in  the  morning,  and  took  two  of  his  young 
men  with  him,  and  Isaac  his  son,  and  clave  the  wood 
for  the  burnt-offering,  and  rose  up,  and  went  unto  the 
place  of  which  God  had  told  him.  How  prompt  and 
wonderful  was  his  decision  in  obedience  to  the  com 
mand  of  God  ! 

How  great  was  his  benevolence !     He  stood  before 


160  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  Lord,  and  interceded  for  guilty  Sodom  with  an 
earnestness  and  an  importunity  that  could  take  no 
denial.  Abraham  knew  that  he  and  his  house  were  in 
no  danger.  The  plague  would  not  be  suffered  to  come 
nigh  them.  Yet  he  cared  for  the  souls  that  were  in 
Sodom,  on  the  very  verge  of  destruction.  And  such 
was  his  benevolence,  that  he  wrestled  in  prayer  for 
them,  while  they  neglected  to  pray  for  themselves. 

Abraham  was  a  man  of  great  humility.  "  Behold, 
now,  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord, 
who  am  but  dust  and  ashes"  There  is  nothing  here 
like  the  boasting  Pharisee  —  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I 
am  not  as  other  men.  I  have  stood  firm  in  thy  service, 
while  others  turned  away  after  idols.  I  left  my  native 
country  at  thy  command.  I  have  believed  thy  word, 
and  hoped  against  hope.  I  have  not  staggered  at  thy 
promise,  but  have  been  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to 
God."  Nothing  of  all  this.  Though  he  had  set  his 
face  steadfastly  in  the  way  of  God's  commandments, 
and  though  his  feet  had  moved  swiftly  in  the  paths  of 
holy  obedience,  yet  now,  like  the  seraphim,  he  would 
veil  his  face,  and  even  his  feet,  before  the  high  and 
holy  One.  He  would  speak  of  himself  in  the  lowliest 
terms —  "  I  am  but  dust  and  ashes." 

Great  charity  also  appears  in  the  character  of  Abra 
ham.  "  Perad venture  there  be  fifty  righteous  within 
the  city."  "  Perad  venture  there  shall  lack  five  of  the 
fifty  righteous,"  "  Perad  venture  there  be  forty  found 
there."  Noble,  generous-hearted  man  !  Great  in  the 
exercise  of  an  exalted  charity,  even  in  Sodom  he  hopes 
to  find  fifty  righteous,  or  if  not  quite  so  many,  then 
forty-five,  or,  at  any  rate,  forty.  What  a  lovely  exhibi 
tion  of  a  great  and  good  man  !  "  Charity  thinketh  no 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.  161 

evil."  Charity  "  hopeth  all  things."  How  different 
from  that  spirit  .of  bitterness  which  sometimes  stalks 
abroad  in  the  earth  !  A  bitter  spirit  would  have  said, 
"  Ha !  burn  up  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  !  I'm  glad  to 
hear  it.  It  is  just  what  I've  been  looking  for.  They 
richly  deserve  it.  There  is  not  an  honest  man  in  all 
the  place,  nor  a  virtuous  woman.  I'm  glad  to  hear 
that  they  are  about  to  get  their  desert  at  last."  It  is 
no  proof  that  a  man  is  uncommonly  good  himself,  when 
he  shows  a  severe  and  censorious  spirit,  that  rejoices  to 
put  the  worst  construction  on  the  condition  of  others. 

Abraham  exhibits  greatness  in  his  holy  fortitude. 
He  "  stood  before  the  Lord."  And  while  his  soul  was 
filled  with  sacred  awe  and  reverence,  he  "  drew  near 
and  said,  Wilt  thou  also  destroy  the  righteous  with  the 
wicked  ?  That  be  far  from  thee  to  do  after  this  man 
ner  ;  to  slay  the  righteous  with  the  wicked,  that  be  far 
from  thee  :  shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do 
right  ?  "  He  came  "  boldly  to  a  throne  of  grace." 

Abraham  was  great  in  his  daily  intercourse  with  his 
fellow-men.  See  the  magnanimity  of  his  deportment 
in  relation  to  Lot,  when  difficulties  had  arisen  between 
their  herdmen.  (Gen.  xiii.  5 — 12.)  See  his  inter 
course  with  the  sons  of  Heth.  (Gen.  xxiii.  3 — 20.) 

Abraham  was  great  as  a  patriot  soldier,  who  drew 
the  sword  in  defence  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  He 
was  a  wise  and  successful  leader  of  patriotic  armies. 
(Gen.  xiv.  13 — 16.)  Also  observe  his  noble  bearing 
in  reference  to  the  spoil.  (Gen.  xiv.  22,  23.) 

Abraham  was  great  in  his  relations  —  "a  mighty 
prince  "  among  men,  and  a  "  friend  of  God." 

He  was  great  in  his  destination.     The  abode  of  the 
blessed  is  called  by  the  Savior  "  Abraham's  bosom." 
14* 


162  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

(Luke  xvi.  22.)  And  the  promise  to  the  redeemed  is, 
that  "  they  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  with 
Isaac,  and  with  Jacob,  irrthe  kingdom  of  God." 

JUDAH. 

Recorded  facts  clearly  show  that  Judah,  the  fourth  son 
of  Jacob,  was  a  very  distinguished  and  powerful  man. 
Jewish  tradition,  concerning  the  events  which  took  place 
in  the  earlier  periods  of  Hebrew  national  history,  abound 
with  statements  of  the  famous  part  acted  by  Judah,  and 
of  the  preeminence  which  he  maintained  among  cele 
brated  men  in  that  age  of  the  world.  There  is  also 
much  on  this  subject  found  in  the  Bible  history. 

We  find  in  the  story  of  Joseph  that  Judah  had  great 
influence  with  his  brethren.  Led  on,  it  appears,  by 
Simeon,  they  had  conspired  to  kill  Joseph.  Reuben 
had  interposed,  and  prevailed  on  them  to  cast  Joseph 
into  a  pit,  where,  as  they  supposed,  he  would  inevitably 
starve  to  death.  Reuben's  design  was  to  deliver  Joseph 
from  death,  and  restore  him  again  to  his  father.  Reuben 
had  withdrawn,  it  seems,  for  the  purpose  of  concerting 
measures  for  the  escape  of  Joseph,  when  a  company 
of  Ishmaelites  passed  by.  "  And  Judah  said  unto  his 
brethren,  What  profit  is  it  if  we  slay  our  brother,  and 
conceal  his  blood  ?  Come,  and  let  us  sell  him  to  the 
Ishmaelites,  and  let  not  our  hand  be  upon  him  ;  for  he 
is  our  brother  and  our  flesh ;  and  his  brethren  were 
content."  It  is  likely  that  Judah  was  unacquainted 
with  Reuben's  aim,  and  thought  this  the  best  method 
to  prevent  the  death  of  Joseph  in  the  pit.  But  should 
it  even  appear  that  he  was  moved  by  some  motive  less 
praiseworthy,  the  passage  proves  that  he  had  great 
weight  in  swaying  the  counsels  of  his  brethren. 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.  163 

Judah  had  also  great  influence  with  his  father. 
When  the  sons  of  Jacob  returned  from  their  first  visit 
to  Egypt,  they  told  their  father,  "  The  man  who  is  lord 
of  the  land  spake  roughly  to  us,  and  took  us  for  spies  ; 
and  we  said  unto  him,  We  are  true  men ;  we  are  no 
spies.  And  the  lord  of  the  country  said  unto  us. 
Hereby  shall  I  know  that  ye  are  true  men  :  leave  one 
of  your  brethren  here  with  me,  and  take  food  for  the 
famine  of  your  houses,  and_  be  gone.  And  bring  your 
youngest  brother  unto  me.  Then  shall  I  know  that  ye 
are  no  spies,  but  that  ye  are  true  men.  And  their  father 
said,  Me  have  ye  bereaved  of  my  children ;  Joseph  is 
not,  and  Simeon  is  not ;  and  ye  will  take  Benjamin 
away :  all  these  things  are  against  me.  And  Reuben 
spake  unto  his  father,  saying,  Slay  my  two  sons,  if  I 
bring  him  not  to  thee ;  "  just  as  if  the  death  of  two 
grandsons  could  console  Jacob  for  the  loss  of  his 
beloved  Benjamin !  "And  he  said,  My  son  shall  not 
go  down  with  you."  But  when  the  corn  brought  up 
from  Egypt  was  all  consumed,  and  "  the  famine  was 
sore,"  their  father  said  unto  them,  "Go  again,  and  buy 
us  a  little  food."  And  Judah  spake  unto  him  —  "  The 
man  did  solemnly  protest  unto  us,  saying,  Ye  shall  not 
see  my  face,  except  your  brother  be  with  you.  If 
thou  wilt  send  our  brother  with  us,  we  will  go  down 
and  buy  thee  food  ;  but  if  thou  wilt  not  send  our 
brother,  we  will  not  go  down."  And  Judah  said  unto 
his  father,  "  Send  the  lad  with  me,  and  we  will  arise 
and  go  ;  that  we  may  live,  and  not  die,  both  we,  and 
thou,  and  also  our  little  ones.  I  will  be  surety  for 
him ;  of  my  hand  shalt  thou  require  him :  if  I  bring 
him  not  unto  thee,  and  set  him  before  thee,  then  let 
me  bear  the  blame  forever." 


164  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

And  their  father  Israel  said,  "  Take  your  brother, 
and  arise  and  go ;  and  God  Almighty  give  you  mercy 
before  the  man."  (Gen.  xliii.  1 — 16.) 

The  whole  narrative  shows  that  Jacob  entertained  a 
very  high  regard  for  Judah,  and  placed  a  very  exalted 
estimate  on  his  force  of  character  and  trustworthiness 
—  those  very  attributes  on  which  he  expatiates  in  his 
last  benediction :  "  Judah,  thou  art  he  whom  thy 
brethren  shall  praise  ;  thy  hand  shall  be  in  the  neck 
of  thine  enemies;  thy  father's  children  shall  bow 
down  before  thee.  Judah  is  a  lion's  whelp  ;  from  the 
prey,  my  son,  thou  art  gone  up  ;  he  stooped  down,  he 
couched  as  a  lion,  and  an  old  lion  ;  who  shall  rouse 
him  up?"  (Gen.  xlix.  8,  9.)  But  it  is  when  he 
comes  to  stand  before  the  injured  and  frowning  gov 
ernor  of  Egypt,  and  pleads  for  the  convicted  and  sen 
tenced  Benjamin,  that  the  grandeur  of  Judah's  character 
is  seen.  Great  exigencies  call  forth  great  men.  And 
here  was  an  eventful  crisis,  in  which  the  greatest  earthly 
interests  seemed  trembling  on  the  brink  of  destruction. 

The  sons  of  Jacob  had  gone  down  to  Egypt  the 
second  time  with  troubled  apprehensions,  such  as  beset 
the  pathway  of  the  guilty.  But  on  their  arrival,  they 
were  agreeably  disappointed.  They  meet  with  a  prompt 
and  welcome  reception  at  the  governor's  house.  Sim 
eon  is  released  from  prison,  and  joined  to  their  com 
pany  ;  the  governor  himself  comes  home  at  noon,  and 
greets  them  pleasantly,  inquires  of  the  welfare  of  their 
father,  looks  with  interest  and  kindness  on  Benjamin, 
and  then  gathers  them  all  around  his  well-furnished 
board,  and  refreshes  them  with  a  plentiful  feast.  In 
deed,  it  seemed  as  if,  in  the  profusion  of  his  hospitality, 
he  was  anxious  to  efface  every  remaining  impression 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.  165 

of  that  rough  speech  and  harsh  treatment  which  he 
gave  them  when  they  first  came  down.  They  were 
delighted.  They  passed  the  afternoon  and  night  joy 
fully  in  the  house  of  the  governor ;  and  "  as  soon  as 
the  morning  was  light,"  they  were  sent  away,  —  Sim 
eon,  Benjamin,  and  all,  —  their  sucks  filled  with  corn, 
as  much  as  they  could  carry,  to  supply  their  families 
with  bread.  What  glad  hearts  were  there  !  How 
joyful  were  their  anticipations  !  "  Soon  the  high  hills 
of  Canaan  will  rise  to  view  !  Soon  our  homes  will 
be  in  sight,  and  the  loved  form  of  our  venerable  father, 
eagerly  fixing  his  dim  eye  on  the  approaching  caravan  ; 
and  how  great  will  be  his  joy  when  he  finds  that  his 
sons  have  all  returned  in  safety !  But  hark !  What 
cry  is  that  of  one  in  pursuit  ?  It  is  the  governor's 
steward."  He  hurries  to  overtake  them,  proclaiming, 
"  The  silver  cup  in  which  my  lord  drinketh  is  stolen. 
Ye  have  done  evil  in  so  doing." 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "  Wherefore  saith  my  lord 
these  words  ?  God  forbid  that  thy  servants  should  do 
this  thing.  With  whomsoever  of  thy  servants  it  shall 
be  found,  let  him  die,  and  we  also  will  be  my  lord's 
bondmen.  Then  they  speedily  took  down  every  man 
his  sack,  and  he  searched,  and  began  at  the  eldest  and 
left  off  at  the  youngest,  and  the  cup  was  found  in 
Benjamin's  sack.  Then  they  rent  their  clothes,  and 
returned  to  the  city."  The  language  of  the  sacred 
historian  is  here  very  instructive.  "  Then  Judah  and 
his  brethren  came  to  Joseph's  house."  Judah  alone 
of  the  eleven  is  named.  All  eyes  were  now  turned  to 
him  ;  and  the  looks  and  the  lips  of  all  confess  that  in 
this  awful  extremity  their  only  hope  is  in  the  wisdom, 
the  eloquence,  and  the  extraordinary  resources  of  Judah. 


166  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Indeed,  the  attempt  of  Judah,  at  this  dreadful  juncture, 
just  as  the  cup  has  been  found  in  Benjamin's  sack,  to 
head  the  returning  column  of  his  mortified  and  despair 
ing  brethren,  and  lead  them  back  to  the  house  of  the 
outraged  and  indignant  governor,  is  itself  a  proof  of 
astonishing  stamina  and  greatness  of  soul. 

What  a  moving  scene  have  we  here  !  Pause  for  a 
moment,  and  fix  your  eye  upon  it.  That  accusing 
steward  seizes  the  cup,  and  holds  it  up  reproachingly 
before  them  all,  as  incontestable  proof  of  vile  ingrati 
tude  and  enormous  guilt.  Hear  his  exclamations  — 
"  O,  what  baseness !  What  detestable  falsehood  !  What 
abominable  thievishness !  "  Reuben  wrings  his  hands, 
crying  out  bitterly,  "  Undone  !  undone  !  "  Simeon, 
Issachar,  Asher,  Naphtali,  cover  their  abashed  faces, 
and  stepping  backward,  fall  to  the  earth.  Ten  of 
Jacob's  sons  are  utterly  unmanned  and  overwhelmed 
in  the  depth  of  their  disgrace.  Not  so  Judah.  His 
powerful  spirit  rises  with  the  importance  of  the  occa 
sion.  Disasters  which  prostrate  others  only  rouse  the 
slumbering  energies  of  his  mind.  The  more  dire  the 
extremity,  it  is  to  him  but  the  louder  call  to  prompt, 
effective  action.  "  Up,  my  brothers,  up !  All  danger 
is  not  death ;  all  darkness  is  not  destruction ;  rise  up, 
and  come  with  me.  We  will  go  back  to  the  governor's 
house,  and  try  what  can  yet  be  done."  Rare,  exalted, 
wonderful  man !  At  the  distance  of  thirty-five  hun 
dred  years,  we  yet  gaze  with  astonishment  and  admira 
tion  upon  thy  marvellous  fortitude  and  firmness  of  soul. 
Yes,  after  this  long  lapse  of  ages,  we  yet  continue  to 
feel  that  our  nature  is  honored  and  ennobled  by  thy 
manly  and  dignified  bearing  when  those  thick  clouds  of 
blackness  were  clustering  and  condensing  around  thee. 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.  167 

The  reception  of  the  sons  of  Jacob  at  the  governor's 
house  was  altogether  rough  and  repulsive.     "  What  is 
this  that  ye  have  done  ?     Wot  ye  not  that  such  a  man 
as  I  can  certainly  divine  ?     Did  ye  think  to  practise 
thievery  about  my  house,  and  escape  detection  ?  "    We 
must  bear  in  mind,  that  Judah  regarded  Joseph  as  a 
great  Egyptian  prince,  who  wielded  the  power  of  Pha 
raoh.^    "  What  shall  we  say  unto  my  lord  ?  what  shall 
we   speak  ?    or  how  shall  we  clear  ourselves  ?     God 
hath  found  out  the  iniquity  of  thy  servants  :  behold, 
we  are  my  lord's  servants,  both  we,  and  he  also  with 
whom  the  cup  is  found."     There  is  great  ingenuity 
and  power  in  this  opening  of  his  plea.     He  dilutes  or 
neutralizes  the  guilt  of  the  act  of  stealing  the  cup,  by 
diffusing  it  among  all  the  eleven  brethren,  and  repre 
senting  their  present  distress  as  a  righteous  judgment 
from  God,  for  all   the  sins  of   their  past  lives.     And 
then  he  declares  their  readiness  to  submit  to  a  heavier 
doom  than  Joseph's  sense  of  justice  would  allow  him 
to  inflict.     "  God  forbid,"  said  the  governor,  "  that  I 
should  do  so  ;  but  the  man  in  whose  hand  the  cup  is 
found,  he  shall  be  my  servant ;  as  for  you,  get  you  up 
in  peace  to  your  father." 

Here,  now,  is  the  climax  of  their  troubles.  They 
could  have  consented,  if  it  must  be  so,  all  to  perish 
together  ;  but  the  thought  of  some  returning  home 
with  tidings  that  will  break  their  father's  heart,  is 
unsupportable.  .  The  reader,  who  carefully  examines 
Judah's  argument,  will  subscribe  to  the  following  sen 
timent  of  a  celebrated  English  divine :  "  Without 
exception,  this  may  be  considered  as  the  most  affecting 
speech  that  was  ever  uttered  by  mere  man." 

"  Then  Judah  came  near  unto  him,  and  said,  O  my 


168  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

lord,  let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thee,  speak  a  word  in  my 
lord's  ears,  and  let  not  thine  anger  burn  against  thy 
servant ;  for  thou  art  even  as  Pharaoh.  My  lord  asked 
his  servants,  saying,  Have  ye  a  father,  or  a  brother  ? 
And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  We  have  a  father,  an  old 
man,  and  a  child  of  his  old  age,  a  little  one  ;  and  his 
brother  is  dead,  and  he  alone  is  left  of  his  mother,  and 
his  father  loveth  him.  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy  ser 
vants,  Bring  him  down  unto  me,  that  I  may  set  mine 
eyes  upon  him.  And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  The  lad 
cannot  leave  his  father ;  for  if  he  should  leave  his 
father,  his  father  would  die.  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy 
servants,  Except  your  youngest  brother  come  down 
with  you,  ye  shall  see  my  face  no  more.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  we  came  up  unto  thy  servant  my  father, 
we  told  him  the  words  of  my  lord.  And  our  father 
said,  Go  again,  and  buy  us  a  little  food.  And  we  said, 
We  cannot  go  down.  If  our  youngest  brother  be  with 
us,  then  will  we  go  down  ;  for  we  may  not  see  the 
man's  face,  except  our  youngest  brother  be  with  us. 
And  thy  servant  my  father  said  unto  us,  Ye  know  that 
my  wife  bare  me  two  sons  :  and  the  one  went  out  from 
me,  and  I  said,  Surely  he  is  torn  in  pieces ;  and  I  saw 
him  not  since ;  and  if  ye  take  this  also  from  me,  and 
mischief  befall  him,  ye  shall  bring  down  my  gray  hairs 
with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  Now,  therefore,  when  I 
come  to  thy  servant  my  father,  and  the  lad  be  not  with 
us,  seeing  that  his  life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life,  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  when  he  seeth  that  the  lad  is  not 
with  us,  that  he  will  die  ;  and  thy  servants  shall  bring 
down  the  gray  hairs  of  thy  servant  our  father  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave.  For  thy  servant  became  surety 
for  the  lad  unto  my  father,  saying,  If  I  bring  him  not 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.          169 

unto  thee,  then  I  shall  bear  the  blame  to  my  father 
forever.  Now,  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  let  thy  servant 
abide  instead  of  the  lad  a  bondman  to  my  lord  ;  and  let 
the  lad  go  up  with  his  brethren.  For  how  shall  I  go 
up  to  my  father,  arid  the  lad  be  not  with  me  ?  lest  per- 
adventure  I  see  the  evil  that  shall  come  on  my  father." 

1.  What  tender  aifection  for  his  aged  father  breathed 
through  the  whole  speech !     "  Honor  thy  father  and 
mother,  which  is  the  first  commandment  with  promise." 

2.  With  what  soundness  of  judgment  does  he  avoid 
any  particular  reference  to  the  crime  charged  on  his 
younger  brother.     To  have  admitted  it,  would  have 
been  to  censure  Benjamin.     To  have  denied  it,  would 
have  reflected  on  the  justice  of  Joseph.     He  presses 
only  the  great  argument,  that  the  life  of  his  aged  father 
is  bound  up  in  the  life  of  the  lad ;  and  if  Benjamin 
goes  not  back  with  his  brothers,  his  father  will  die. 

3.  How  delicately  he  refers   to  Joseph's  supposed 
loss !  quoting  his  father's  words,  "  Ye  know  that  my 
wife  bare  me  two   sons ;  and  the  one  went  out  from 
me,  and  I  said,  Surely  he  is  torn  in  pieces,  and  I  saw 
him  not  since."     How  the  heart  of  Joseph  must  have 
vibrated  at  this  part  of  the  argument ! 

4.  He  oifers  himself  as  a  substitute  for  Benjamin. 
Jewish  tradition  says  he  was  by  far   the  most  able 
bodied  of  the  two.     Joseph  would  thus  be  gainer  by 
the  exchange.     His  father  could  better  bear  the  loss 
of  him,  than  of  the  only  remaining  son  of  his  beloved 
Rachel.     So  far  is  he  from  being  envious  at  his  father's 
superior  fondness  for  Benjamin,  that  he  is  willing  to 
become  a  bondman  himself,  in  order  that  it  may  be 
gratified.     Generous,  worthy,  wonderful  man ! 

5.  The  power  of  his  eloquence  rose  beyond  all  that 

15 


170  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


Joseph  had  anticipated,  though  he  had  doubtless  been 
accustomed  to  hear  the  most  powerful  pleaders  of 
Egypt.  Joseph  had  been  making  experiments  with 
his  brethren,  testing  and  trying  their  temper  toward 
Benjamin ;  and  evidently  he  intended  to  carry  his 
experiments  further.  For  he  had  men  present  in  the 
house  who  he  did  not  intend  should  witness  the  scene, 
when  he  should  make  himself  known  to  his  brethren. 
According  to  his  plan,  the  time  for  that  disclosure  had 
not  yet  come  ;  but  the  tide  of  Judah's  eloquence  came 
upon  him  like  the  waters  in  Ezekiel's  vision  —  now 
flowing  to  the  ankles,  now  to  the  knees,  now  to  the 
waist,  and  now  a  mighty  river,  whose  resistless  flood 
swept  all  before  it.  Joseph  himself  was  carried  away 
by  the  overspreading  deluge,  and  "  could  not  refrain 
himself  before  all  them  that  stood  by  him.  And  he 
cried,  Cause  every  man  to  go  out  from  me :  and  he 
wept  aloud ;  and  the  Egyptians  and  the  house  of 
Pharaoh  heard."  Who  can  read  this  affecting  history 
without  coming  fully  to  the  conclusion,  that  Judah 
deserves  a  prominent  place  among  "  the  great  men  of 
the  Bible  "  ? 

6.  What  an  impression  this  generous  proposal  of 
Judah  must  have  made  on  the  heart  of  Benjamin  !  It 
appears  that  neither  he  nor  his  children  could  ever  for 
get  their  obligation  for  this  magnanimous  devotion. 
Long  afterwards,  when  ten  tribes  went  oif  under  Jero 
boam,  Benjamin  adhered  with  unwavering  faitnfulness 
to  Judah.  The  ten  tribes  were  carried  away  captive, 
and  lost ;  but  Benjamin  is  still  found  with  Judah.  In 
the  first  age  of  the  Christian  church,  the  children  of 
Benjamin  were  with  Judah.  Paul  was  "  of  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews."  And  till 


THE    GREAT    MEN    OF    THE    BIBLE.  171 

this  day,  in  their  dispersion  throughout  the  whole  world, 
Benjamin  is  found  standing  by  the  side  of  Judah. 

7.  Was  Judah  a  type  of  Christ,  when  he  became 
surety  for  a  younger  brother,  and  made  intercession  for 
the  transgressor  ?  Troubles,  the  most  gloomy  and 
appalling,  were  clustering  and  thickening  around  Ben 
jamin.  The  cup  was  found  in  his  sack.  He  alone  is 
singled  out,  by  the  frowning  governor,  as  the  guilty 
one.  He  alone  is  condemned  to  a  perpetual  doom. 
Yet  all  this  cannot  turn  away  the  tender  affection  of 
Judah,  nor  check  his  burning  zeal.  I  "  became  surety 
for  the  lad  unto  my  father,  saying,  If  I  bring  him  not 
unto  thee,  then  I  shall  bear  the  blame  to  my  father  for 
ever."  Great  Surety  of  our  souls,  this  reminds  us  of 
thee  !  "  For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor 
life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor 
any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 


172  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


THE    PUBLIC    REBUKE. 


ANECDOTE  OF  JUDGE  WHITE. 

THE  late  lamented  Judge  Hugh  L.  White,  of  Tennes 
see,  became  conspicuous,  at  a  very  early  period  of  life, 
as  a  jurist  and  a  statesman.  He  fixed  his  permanent 
home  near  Knoxville,  amidst  the  scenes  of  his  youth 
ful  sports,  and  the  companions  of  his  boyish  days. 
Rarely  has  a  young  man,  continuing  in  his  own  coun 
try  and  among  his  own  kindred,  so  soon  attained  such 
literary  and  political  preeminence.  From  his  youth, 
the  judge  was  characterized  by  profound  reverence  for 
the  ordinances  of  the  gospel.  He  was  a  regular  attend 
ant  at  the  house  of  worship.  And  while  he  was  a 
Presbyterian,  that  being  the  church  of  his  fathers,  and 
the  church  of  his  choice,  he  was  benevolent  and  gen 
erous  towards  other  branches  of  the  great  Christian 
family.  He  gave  to  the  Methodist  church  at  Knox 
ville  the  ground  on  which  their  house  of  worship  was 
built ;  and  occasionally  he  would  appear  in  the  con 
gregation,  and  join  with  them  in  their  worship. 

Now,  in  those  days,  there  was  a  notable  presiding 
elder  in  that  region,  called  Father  Axley,  a  pious, 
laborious,  uncompromising  preacher  of  the  gospel,  who 
considered  it  his  duty  to  rebuke  Sin  wherever  it  should 
presume  to  lift  up  its  deformed  head  within  the  limits 
of  his  district.  And  while  Father  Axley  was  a  man 


ANECDOTE    OF    JUDGE    WHITE.  173 

of  respectable  talents,  undoubted  piety,  and  great  min 
isterial  fidelity,  he  had,  moreover,  a  spice  of  humor, 
oddity,  and  drollery  about  him,  that  rarely  failed  to 
impart  a  characteristic  tinge  to  his  performances.  The 
consequence  was,  that  amusing  anecdotes  of  the  say 
ings  and  doings  of  Father  Axley  abounded  throughout 
the  country. 

On  a  certain  day,  a  number  of  lawyers  and  literary 
men  were  together  in  the  town  of  Knoxville,  and  the 
conversation  turned  on  the  subject  of  preaching  and 
preachers.  One  and  another  had  expressed  his  opinion 
of  the  performances  of  this  and  that  pulpit  orator.  At 
length,  Judge  White  spoke  up — "Well,  gentlemen, 
on  this  subject  each  man  is,  of  course,  entitled  to  his 
own  opinion ;  but  I  must  confess,  that  Father  Axley 
brought  me  to  a  sense  of  my  evil  deeds  —  at  least  a 
portion  of  them  —  more  effectually  than  any  preacher 
I  have  ever  heard."  At  this,  every  eye  and  ear  was 
turned ;  for  Judge  White  was  known  never  to  speak 
lightly  on  religious  subjects,  and,  moreover,  he  was 
habitually  cautious  and  respectful  in  his  remarks  con 
cerning  religious  men.  The  company  now  expressed 
the  most  urgent  desire  that  the  judge  would  give  the 
particulars,  and  expectation  stood  on  tiptoe. 

« I  went  up,"  said  the  judge,  "  one  evening,  to  the 
Methodist  church.  A  sermon  was  preached  by  a  cler 
gyman  with  whom  I  was  not  acquainted ;  but  Father 
Axley  was  in  the  pulpit.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon, 
he  arose,  and  said  to  the  congregation,  '  I  am  not  going 
to  detain  you  by  delivering  an  exhortation.  I  have 
risen  simply  to  administer  a  rebuke  for  improper  con 
duct,  which  I  have  observed  here  to-night.'  This,  of 
course,  waked  up  the  entire  assembly ;  and  the  still- 
15* 


174  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

ness  was  most  profound,  while  Axley  stood  and  looked, 
for  two  or  three  seconds,  over  the  congregation.  Then, 
stretching  out  his  large,  long  arm,  and  pointing  with 
his  finger  steadily  in  one  direction,  <  Now,'  said  he,  '  I 
calculate  that  those  two  young  men,  who  were  talking 
and  laughing  in  that  corner  of  the  house,  while  the 
brother  was  preaching,  think  that  I'm  going  to  talk 
about  them.  Well,  it  is  true  that  it  looks  very  bad, 
when  well-dressed  young  men,  who  you  would  sup 
pose,  from  their  appearance,  belonged  to  some  genteel, 
respectable  family,  come  to  the  house  of  God,  and, 
instead  of  reverencing  the  majesty  of  Him  that  dwell- 
eth  therein,  or  attending  to  the  message  of  his  ever 
lasting  love,  get  together  in  one  corner  of  the  house,' 
(his  finger  all  this  time  pointing  straight  and  steady  as 
the  aim  of  a  rifleman,)  '  and  there,  through  the  whole 
solemn  service,  keep  talking,  tittering,  laughing,  gig 
gling  —  thus  annoying  the  minister,  disturbing  the 
congregation,  and  sinning  against  God.  I'm  sorry  for 
the  young  men.  I'm  sorry  for  their  parents.  I'm 
sorry  they  have  done  so  to-night.  I  hope  they'll  never 
do  so  again.  But,  however,  that's  not  the  thing  that  I 
was  going  to  talk  about.  It  is  another  matter,  and  so 
important,  that  I  thought  it  would  be  wrong  to  suffer 
the  congregation  to  depart  without  administering  a 
suitable  rebuke.  Now,'  said  he,  stretching  his  huge 
arm,  and  pointing  in  another  direction,  '  perhaps  that 
man,  who  was  asleep  on  the  bench  out  there,  while 
the  brother  was  preaching,  thinks  that  I  am  going  to 
talk  about  him.  Well,  I  must  confess,  it  looks  very 
bad  for  a  man  to  come  into  a  worshipping  assembly, 
and,  instead  of  taking  his  seat  like  others,  and  listening 
to  the  blessed  gospel,  carelessly  stretch  himself  out  on 


ANECDOTE    OF    JUDGE    WHITE.  175 

a  bench,  and  go   to  sleep !     It  is  not  only  a  proof  of 
great  insensibility  with  regard  to  the  obligations  which 
we  owe  to  our  Creator  and  Redeemer,  but  it  shows  a 
want  of   genteel  breeding.      It  shows  that  the   poor 
man  has  been  so  unfortunate  in  his  bringing  up,  as  not 
to  have  been  taught  good  manners.     He  doesn't  know 
what  is  polite  and  respectful  in  a  worshipping  assem 
bly,  among  whom  he  comes  to  mingle.     I'm  sorry  for 
the  poor  man.     I'm  sorry  for  the  family  to  which  he 
belongs.     I'm  sorry  he  did  not  know  better.     I  hope 
he  will  never  do  so  again.     But,  however,  that  is  not 
what  I  was  going  to  talk  about.'     Thus  Father  Axley 
went  on,  for  some  time,  <  boxing  the  compass,7  and  hit 
ting  a  number  of  persons  and  things  that  he  was  '  not 
going  to  talk  about,'  and  hitting  them  hard,  till  the 
attention  and  curiosity  of  the  audience  were  raised  to 
the  highest   pitch,  when,  finally,  he  remarked,  '  The 
thing  of  which  I  was  going  to  talk,  is  chewing  tobacco. 
Now,  I  do  hope,  when  any  gentleman  comes  here  to 
church,  who  can't  keep  from  chewing  tobacco  during 
the  hours  of  public  worship,  that  he  will  just  take  his 
hat,  and  put  it  before  him,  and  spit  in  his  hat.     You 
know  we  are  Methodists.     You  all  know  that  our  cus 
tom  is  to  kneel  when  we  pray.     Now,  any  gentleman 
may  see,  in  a  moment,  how  exceedingly  inconvenient 
it  must  be  for  a  well-dressed  Methodist  lady  to  be  com 
pelled  to  kneel  down  in  a  great  puddle  of  tobacco-spit ! ' 
"  Now,"  said  Judge  White,  "at  this  very  time,  I  had 
in  my  mouth  an  uncommonly  large  quid  of  tobacco. 
Axley's   singular   manner   and   train  of    remark   had 
strongly  arrested  my  attention.     While  he  was  strik 
ing  to  the  right  and  left,  hitting  those  <  things '  that  he 
was  not  going  to  talk  about,  my  curiosity  was  roused,  and 


176  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

conjecture  was  busy  to  find  out  what  he  could  be  aim 
ing  at.  I  was  chewing  my  huge  quid  with  uncommon 
rapidity,  and  spitting,  arid  looking  up  at  the  preacher, 
to  catch  every  word  and  every  gesture  ;  and  when,  at 
last,  he  pounced  on  the  *  tobacco,'  behold,  there  I  had 
a  great  puddle  of  tobacco-spit !  I  quietly  slipped  the 
quid  out  of  my  mouth,  and  dashed  it  as  far  as  I  could 
under  the  seats,  resolving  never  again  to  be  found 
chewing  tobacco  in  a  Methodist  church. 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        177 


THE    LIVING   AND    THE   DEAD 
PROPHETS. 


SCENE  I.  A  half-built  Tomb  in  Judea,  in  the  time  of  the  public 
ministrations  of  Jesus  Christ.  Ground  the  tomb,  ANNAS,  and  CAI- 
APHAS,  and  JOHN,  and  ALEXANDER,  and  others  of  the  kindred  of 
tlie  high  priest,  with  Stone-masons  and  Attendants.  (Acts  iv.  6.) 

Annas.  This  is  truly  a  pious  business  !  Yes,  this 
is  what  I  call  religion.  We  are  all  here,  with  one 
heart,  to  build  the  sepulchre  of  the  prophet  Elisha. 
Ah,  he  was  a  treasure  to  Israel  in  his  day  !  What 
miracles  he  performed  on  Naaman  the  Syrian,  and 
others  !  What  a  life  of  exemplary  piety  he  led  !  And 
after  he  was  dead,  there  was  virtue  in  his  bones.  Yes, 
the  sacred  record  declares,  that,  while  certain  men  were 
burying  the  body  of  a  man  who  had  died,  they  spied 
a  company  of  hostile  Moabites,  who  had  invaded  the 
land  ;  and  they  "  cast  the  man  into  the  sepulchre  of 
Elisha.  And  when  the  man  was  let  down,  and  touched 
the  bones  of  Elisha,  he  revived,  and  stood  on  his  feet." 
(2  Kings  xiii.  21.)  Ah,  he  was  a  prophet,  whose  like 
we  shall  not  see  again !  But  there  is  piety  in  building 
his  sepulchre.  Let  us  put  our  own  hands  to  this  ad 
mirable  religious  enterprise.  Caiaphas,  take  hold ! 
John,  Alexander,  —  all  of  you  who  are  of  the  kindred 
of  the  high  priest,  —  take  hold  !  Help  me  to  set  this 
great  block  of  marble  in  the  right  position  for  hewing. 


178  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

I  delight  in  such  work  as  this.  I  absolutely  believe 
that  I  could  hew  this  marble  almost  as  well  as  a  pro 
fessed  mason.  (He  takes  a  stone-hammer,  and  begins 
to  hew.)  Ah,  this  is  what  I  call  religion  ! 

Caiaphas.  How  much  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  we 
have  no  such  prophets  as  Elisha  in  the  church  at  this 
day!  Mortar!  bring  mortar!  (Aloud.)  Have  it  well 
tempered  and  prepared.  My  heart  experiences  the 
excitement  of  the  noble  enterprise.  Ah,  there  is  sub 
limity  in  the  thought  of  building  the  sepulchre  of  a 
dead  prophet !  —  especially  one  who  has  been  so  long 
dead.  Yes,  I  feel  the  inspiration  of  the  occasion.  I 
am  quickened,  yea,  revived,  yea,  ennobled,  by  the  ani 
mating  character  of  this  exalted  undertaking.  None 
of  that  odious  modern  fanaticism  can  mingle  in  such 
an  elevated  and  dignified  design  as  this.  Honor  to  the 
memory  of  the  prophet  Eiisha ! 

Annas.  I  hear  that  there  are  some  very  disorderly 
proceedings  over  in  Galilee. 

Caiaphas.     Ah  !  say  you  so  ?     In  what  respect  ? 

Annas.  One  Jesus,  a  professed  prophet,  has  arisen, 
and  is  making  quite  a  number  of  disciples. 

Caiaphas.  Disciples !  How  absurd  for  such  a  mere 
pretender  to  call  men  to  be  his  disciples  !  We  are 
Moses'  disciples.  We  know  that  God  spake  unto 
Moses ;  but,  as  for  this  fellow,  we  know  not  from 
whence  he  is.  That  is  a  most  beautiful  block  of 
white  marble.  How  it  will  garnish  the  sepulchre  of 
the  dead  prophet !  The  truth  is,  no  embellishment  or 
decoration  should  be  spared  in  a  pious  purpose  like 
this.  Drive  on  the  work,  masons  !  Prepare  the  stone 
for  the  good  prophet's  tomb  as  fast  as  you  can  !  Mor 
tar!  Attendants,  keep  these  masons  well  supplied 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        179 


with  mortar  !  A  pious  work,  truly  !  I  should  take 
pride  in  carrying  the  hod  myself,  in  order  to  forward 
such  an  important  religious  enterprise. 

First 'Mason.  I  have  heard  that  the  prophet  in 
Galilee  does  many  wonderful  works ;  that  the  com 
mon  people  hear  him  gladly  ;  and  that  many  have 
believed  in  him,  as  the  promised  Messiah. 

Caiaphas.  Peace,  man  !  hold  your  peace  !  Have 
any  of  the  rulers  or  Pharisees  believed  on  him  ? 

Second  Mason.  I  saw  some  officers,  that  the  chief 
priests  had  s'ent  to  take  him.  They  said  that  they 
had  listened  to  one  of  his  sermons,  and  that  they  were 
constrained  to  declare,  "  Never  man  spake  like  this 
man." 

Caiaphas.  I  command  you,  laymen,  to  hold  your 
peace  !  Beware  how  you  interfere  with  the  rights  of 
those  who  have  the  oversight  of  the  people !  If  you 
must  speak  of  the  transactions  over  in  Galilee,  speak 
of  the  disorders,  the  extravagances,  &c. 

Annas.  I  learn  that  there  are  great  excesses  and 
irregularities  among  the  followers  of  this  "  prophet  of 
Nazareth  of  Galilee."  Some  four  or  five  thousand 
men,  besides  women  and  children,  it  is  said,  continued 
with  him  "  three  days,  when  they  had  nothing  to  eat." 
This  was  shocking  extravagance.  It  was  a  great 
shame  to  expose  those  little  children  to  such  suffering. 

First  Mason.  I  was  told  that  the  prophet  fed  those 
four  or  five  thousand  men,  and  all  the  women  and  chil 
dren,  with  a  few  loaves  and  fishes  ;  and  that  they  did 
all  eat,  and  were  filled ;  and  that  twelve  baskets-full 
of  fragments,  or  broken  meat,  were  taken  up  after  they 
had  all  eaten. 

Caiaphas.     Mortar  !     Bring  on  a  good  supply  of 


180  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

mortar,  for  the  tomb  of  the  prophet  !  Roll  up  those 
large  blocks  of  marble,  that  the  workmen  may  hew 
and  prepare  them !  Here,  fellow  !  ( To  the  mason,  in 
a  lower  tone.)  If  you  speak  in  commendation  of  that 
prophet  of  Galilee,  you  shall  be  dismissed  from  our 
employment,  and  put  out  of  the  synagogue.  Ah, 
those  poor  women  and  children  !  From  my  inmost 
heart,  I  pity  them.  Three  days,  and  nothing  to  eat ! 
There  were  no  such  disorderly  doings  in  the  days  of 
the  good  old  prophet  Elisha. 

Annas.  I  was  credibly  informed  that  the  roof  of 
a  poor  man's  house  was  very  much  injured,  but  a  short 
time  since.  They  had  brought  one  sick  of  the  palsy ; 
and  an  immense  rabble  being  collected  about  the  door, 
they  who  had  charge  of  the  sick  man  could  not  enter 
that  way.  Being  very  reckless  persons,  and  having 
little  regard  to  the  rights  of  others,  they  ascended  to 
the  roof  of  the  house,  and  broke  it  up,  and  let  down 
the  sick  of  the  palsy  through  the  great  opening  which 
they  had  made  in  the  roof.  I  saw  a  very  respectable 
man,  who  was  at  the  house  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
same  day ;  and  he  reports  that  the  injury  done  to  the 
roof  was  very  great.  The  owner  of  the  house  is  a 
poor  man,  who  can  ill  afford  to  meet  the  expense  of 
repairing  —  particularly  at  this  time,  when  lumber  and 
shingles  are  uncommonly  high.  So,  now,  the  family 
are  there,  all  exposed  to  the  first  squall  of  bad  weather 
that  may  chance  to  blow  up. 

Second  Mason.  I  understand,  however,  that  the 
sick  of  the  palsy  was  perfectly  healed  j  that  he  took 
up  his  bed,  arid  walked  through  the  astonished  multi 
tude,  calling  on  all  to  witness  what  great  things  the 
Lord  had  done  for  him ;  and  that  all  the  people  glori- 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        181 

fied  God,  and  declared  that  a  great  prophet  was  risen 
in  Israel. 

Caiaphas.  Fellow !  fellow  !  no  more  of  that  !  (In 
a  subdued  tone.)  Take  warning  from  the  words  I 
spake  to  your  neighbor  there,  a  moment  ago.  I  tell 
you  that  you  tamper  with  a  lion,  if  you  disobey  the 
high  priest.  Most  sincerely  do  I  sympathize  with  that 
poor,  unoffending  man,  whose  roof  was  so  greatly 
damaged.  These  are  new  measures  !  new  measures ! 
Nothing  of  the  kind  was  sanctioned  by  Elisha,  in  his 
day.  He  was  no  house-breaker,  or  roof-destroyer.  I 
glory  in  the  privilege  of  building  his  sepulchre.  Con 
fusion  to  all  modern  innovations  ! 

Annas.  Innovations  ?  The  half  has  not  been  told 
you. 

Caiaphas.  Well,  this  sepulchre  takes  my  eye.  It 
will  be  a  most  beautiful  structure,  when  completed. 
None  will  dare  to  call  in  question  our  religion,  after 
this,  we  have  been  so  forward  in  this  great  and  good 
work.  What  a  pity  that  we  cannot  have  such  prophets 
as  Elisha  in  our  day !  Admirable  man !  he  has  been 
gone  from  the  earth  now  more  than  eight  hundred 
years.  But  it  is  to  us  a  source  of  high  satisfaction, 
that  we  can  build  his  sepulchre.  Ah,  a  work  like  this 
proves  the  depth  of  a  man's  religion  !  I  say  again, 
Confusion  to  all  modern  innovations !  I  cannot  keep 
from  thinking  of  that  poor  man's  damaged  roof,  and 
those  hungry  women  and  children. 

First  Mason.  (Aside.)  But  it  seems  that  the 
miracle  of  the  loaves  and  fishes,  and  the  sick  man 
who  was  perfectly  healed,  must  not  be  mentioned. 

Annas.     As  to  irregularities,  and  "  mischievous  dis 
orders,"  I  repeat,  that  the  half  has  not  yet  been  told. 
16 


182  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

I  was  informed,  the  other  day,  that  certain  unoffending 
persons  have  sustained  a  great  loss  by  the  lawless  pro 
ceedings  now  prevalent  in  that  region.  The  persons 
of  whom  I  speak  had  invested  the  principal  part  of 
their  substance  in  a  large  herd  of  swine.  The  swine 
were  in  fine  condition,  just  ready  for  the  market.  The 
number  of  the  swine  was  about  two  thousand,  and 
they  were  worth  more  than  twenty  thousand  shekels 
of  silver.  By  some  disorderly  proceeding,  which  I  do 
not  understand,  —  for  that  professed  prophet  is  said  to 
be  in  league  with  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  devils,  — 
the  whole  herd  took  fright,  and  ran  down  a  steep  place 
into  the  sea,  and  perished  in  the  waters  —  a  great  loss 
to  the  owners !  certainly,  a  great  loss.  I  am  grieved 
to  hear  of  such  proceedings.  But  we  are  Moses'  dis 
ciples,  and  we  build  the  sepulchre  of  Elisha.  That  is 
the  right  kind  of  religion,  beyond  a  doubt.  Away 
with  modem  fanaticism  and  extravagance  ! 

Second  Mason.  (Aside.}  But  there  is  not  a  word 
about  the  man  that  had  been  possessed  by  the  legion. 
The  devils  were  cast  out ;  and  the  wretched  man  was 
healed,  and  restored  to  his  friends,  clothed,  and  in  his 
right  mind  ;  and  "  the  people  were  all  amazed,  and 
glorified  God."  Not  a  word  of  all  that ! 

Caiaphas.  Sad  times  !  Sad  times  indeed  !  Two 
thousand  hogs  utterly  lost  ;  a  valuable  roof  broken  up, 
and  well  nigh  destroyed  ;  and  a  large  number  of  wo 
men  and  children  almost  starved  to  death  !  Venerable 
prophet  Elisha !  Our  only  remaining  comfort  is  in 
building  thy  tomb.  O,  had  we  lived  eight  hundred 
years  ago,  we  might  have  found  good  enterprises  in 
the  church,  in  which  we  could  have  cooperated.  The 
revivals,  at  that  day,  were  of  the  right  stamp  ;  but, 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        183 

now,  all  that  we  can  do  is  to  find  fault,  raise  objections, 
build  the  sepulchres  of  prophets  who  are  dead,  and 
scowl  at  those  who  are  living. 


SCENE  II.    A  Church  in  Scotland  in  the  days  of  John  Knox.    Enter 
three  venerable  Churchmen. 

First  Churchman.  I  am  greatly  grieved  with  the 
manner  in  which  the  reformation  is  conducted.  John 
Knox  seems  to  be  cheek  by  jowl  with  the  Earl  of 
Murray,  and  with  Morton  also,  and  other  ambitious 
nobles.  They  evidently  are  anxious  to  pull  down  the 
old  establishment,  in  order  to  enrich  themselves,  and 
their  friends  and  favorites,  with  the  spoils.  The  Earl 
of  Morton  and  the  Earl  of  Murray  have  had  a  fierce 
quarrel  about  the  disposal  of  the  lands  and  property 
of  the  last  abbey  which  they  have  broken  up.  And 
John  Knox  has  such  men  in  the  church,  and  he  per 
mits  them  to  be  his  counsellors  !  Ah,  "  birds  of  a 
feather  "  —  the  old  proverb,  how  true  !  The  fact  is,  the 
conduct  of  John  Knox  is  highly  exceptionable.  The 
exigencies  of  the  times  demand  a  better  man  at  the 
head  of  the  reformation  in  Scotland. 

Second  Churchman.  I  don't  believe  that  John 
Calvin,  at  Geneva,  is  one  whit  better.  True,  he  has 
managed  to  get  great  influence  in  that  city  ;  but  there 
are  many  hard  things  said  against  him.  Alas  for  the 
cause  of  religion,  when  prominent  ministers  are  ob 
noxious  to  so  many  objections  !  Indeed,  the  whole 
reformation  abounds  in  blemishes  and  defects. 

Third  Churchman.  And  there  is  Martin  Luther,  in 
Germany.  The  fact  is,  they  are  all  "  tarred  with  the 
same  stick."  Luther  is  one  of  those  headlong,  self- 


184  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

willed,  obstinate  men,  on  whom  good  counsel  is  ab 
solutely  wasted.  Ah,  I  often  think  of  the  preachers 
in  the  primitive  church  !  Could  we  only  have  such 
ministers  now,  we  should  know  how  to  value  them. 
There  was  Stephen — strange  that  the  men  of  that 
age  should  stone  such  a  man  to  death  ! 

First  Churchman.  Yes ;  and  there  was  Peter  — 
what  a  treasure  to  the  church  !  and  Paul  —  wonderful 
that  the  men  of  that  day  should  cast  such  excellent 
ministers  into  prison,  and  subject  them  to  cruel  stripes. 

Second  Churchman.  And  there  was  the  amiable 
apostle  John.  How  wicked  it  was  to  banish  him  to 
the  Isle  of  Patmos  !  O  that  we  had  such  ministers 
in  our  day  !  Let  us  build  their  sepulchres,  otherwise 
we  may  be  misunderstood.  While  we  oppose  John 
Knox,  and  Luther,  and  Calvin,  people  may  conclude 
that  we  are  opposed  to  revivals  of  religion ;  but  if  we 
build  the  sepulchres  of  those  primitive  ministers,  then 
we  can  cry  out  against  those  of  our  own  day,  without 
forfeiting  our  religious  characters.  What  say  you  ? 
Shall  we  build  the  sepulchres  of  the  primitive  minis 
ters,  and  thus  show  that,  beyond  a  doubt,  we  are  reli 
gious  men,  and  friends  of  revivals  —  that  is,  revivals 
of  the  right  stamp  ? 

First  Churchman.  I  will  subscribe  liberally.  Ah, 
that  is  a  pious  work,  in  which  my  heart  would  rejoice  ! 

Third  Churchman.  And  I,  too,  will  gladly  cooper 
ate  to  build  the  sepulchres  of  the  early  ministers,  who 
are  long  since  dead.  That  is  a  religious  enterprise, 
that  commends  itself  to  my  judgment  and  my  heart ; 
but,  as  for  these  modern  men,  —  Knox,  Luther,  arid 
Calvin,  —  I  wholly  disapprove  of  their  measures. 
John  Knox  comes  down  like  a  thunder-storm.  I  wish 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        185 

for  a  revival  that  has  not  got  so  much  of  man  in  it.     I 
wish  the  Lord  to  do  his  own  work. 


SCENE  III.     Jin  American  Church  in  1742.     Enter  three  venerable 
Ministers. 

First  Minister.  What  can  this  Freewill  Edwards 
be  aiming  at  ?  His  mode  of  writing  and  preaching  is 
certainly  endangering  the  doctrines  of  the  reformation. 
Ah,  venerable  John  Calvin  !  Unparalleled  champion 
of  the  doctrines  of  grace!  What  wouldst  thou  have 
thought  of  such  an  ally  as  this  Jonathan  Edwards? 
The  fact  is,  the  entire  man  is  a  curiosity,  and  all  his 
writings  are  of  an  abstruse,  metaphysical  character. 
The  church  knows  not  what  to  make  of  him,  or  them  ; 
but  fears  of  the  worst  are  extensively  entertained.  O 
for  the  plain,  unequivocal,  and  downright  manners  of 
the  great  reformers  !  John  Calvin,  John  Knox,  and 
the  men  of  that  day,  were  an  invaluable  treasure  to 
the  church. 

Second  Minister.  This  George  Whitefield  is  not 
one  jot  better  than  Edwards.  He  professes  to  believe 
the  doctrines  of  the  reformation  ;  but  he  is  turning 
the  world  upside  down.  It  is,  moreover,  reported  that 
Bellamy,  at  Bethlehem,  sympathizes  entirely  with  Ed 
wards  and  Whitefield,  and  the  same  thing  is  said  of 
Gilbert  and  William  Tennant,  of  New  Jersey.  I  am  a 
friend  of  revivals  ;  but  not  such  revivals  as  these,  that 
take  place  under  the  preaching  of  Edwards,  and  White- 
field,  and  the  Tennants.  No,  no.  I  wish  to  see  such 
revivals  as  blessed  the  church  in  Geneva,  under  the 
preaching  of  John  Calvin  ;  and  such  revivals  as  blessed 
the  church  in  Scotland,  when  John  Knox  proclaimed 
16* 


186  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  gospel.  Those  revivals  were  worthy  of  the  name. 
Ah,  they  were  rich  and  lasting  blessings  to  the  church  ! 
But  these  mere  ephemeral,  modern  excitements  awake 
my  indignation.  The  fact  is,  Edwards  preaches  ser 
mons  that  are  perfectly  frightful.  He  seems  to  wish 
to  take  the  conversion  of  sinners  into  his  own  hands  ; 
and  Whitefield  and  Bellamy  do  the  same  thing.  Now, 
I  like  a  revival  that  has  not  got  so  much  of  man  in  it. 
I  like  a  revival  that  gives  all  the  glory  to  God. 

Third  Minister.  And  such  were  the  revivals  under 
the  great  reformers,  John  Calvin,  John  Knox,  and  their 
fellow-laborers.  Those  eminent  men  should  not  be 
forgotten.  Would  it  not  be  a  pious  work  to  build 
their  sepulchres?  I  would  gladly  join  with  you  in 
such  an  important  religious  enterprise. 

First  Minister.     I  will  cooperate  with  all  my  heart. 

Second  Minister.  And  I,  ,also,  for  two  reasons : 
First,  by  building  their  sepulchres,  we  shall  give  honor 
to  men  who  deserve  to  be  held  in  everlasting  remem 
brance  ;  and,  second,  we  shall  throw  around  ourselves 
the  influence  of  the  great  names  of  these  reformers ; 
and  thus  we  shall  be  strengthened  in  our  opposition  to 
Edwards,  Whitefield,  Bellamy,  and  all  such  modern 
fanatics. 

First  and  Third  Minister.     Amen  arid  amen  ! 


SCENE  IV.    Place,  not  legible.     Time,  184-,  (last  figure  indistinct.) 
Enter  an  Aged  Man  and  a  brisk,  self-important  Youth. 

Youth.  What  astonishing  men  labored  in  these 
American  churches,  before  the  colonies  were  separated 
from  Great  Britain !  Edwards,  and  his  fellows  of  that 
day,  were  noble  examples  for  the  faithful,  discreet,  and 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        187 

judicious  minister  of  the  present  age  to  copy  ;  and  the 
revivals,  which  blessed  the  church  under  their  labors, 
are  models  which  we  would  do  well  to  imitate.  There 
have  been  many  very  objectionable  things  mingled 
with  the  revivals  in  the  church  of  late  years.  Indeed, 
I  have  little  sympathy  with  modern  revivals.  I  abso 
lutely  believe  that  they  have  done  more  harm  than 
good.  But  I  am  free  to  express  my  warmest  admiration 
of  such  revivals  as  attended  the  preaching  of  Edwards 
and  others,  one  hundred  years  ago  ;  and,  as  for  Ed 
wards  himself,  he  was,  in  his  day,  "  a  burning  and  a 
shining  light."  I  am  decidedly  of  opinion,  that  the 
American  church  ought  to  erect  a  monument  to  his 
memory.  Yes,  a  richly-ornamented  sepulchre  should 
grace  the  sacred  spot  where  his  ashes  repose. 

Aged  Man.  And  what  do  you  think  of  George 
Whitefield  ? 

Youth.  O,  I  venerate  the  name  of  George  White- 
field  !  I  understand  that  a  costly  tomb  has  already 
been  erected  over  or  near  his  remains  ;  otherwise  I 
should  have  proposed  to  have  his  memorial  placed 
beside  that  of  Edwards.  And,  moreover,  I  believe 
that  a  faithful  history  of  the  distinguishing  features  of 
the  revivals  of  their  day  ought  to  be  compiled,  as  a 
guide  arid  a  model  for  ministers  of  this  age.  It  might 
preserve  them  from  many  lamentable  indiscretions  and 
extravagances. 

Aged  Man.  My  son,  listen  to  the  voice  of  experi 
ence.  You  have  fallen  into  the  common  error  of 
mankind,  who  eulogize  and  build  the  sepulchre  of  the 
prophet  that  is  dead,  while  they  stigmatize  and  reject 
the  prophet  that  is  living.  With  this  device  Satan 
has  deceived  the  nations  for  ages.  The  dead  prophet 


188  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK, 

rebukes  no  one.  Neither  the  sinner,  nor  the  cold, 
worldly  professor,  is  interrupted  by  him.  They  can, 
therefore,  build  his  sepulchre,  while  they  continue  to 
live  in  sin.  Thus  the  tempter  deludes  multitudes  with 
a  persuasion  that  their  spiritual  condition  is  good,  be 
cause  they  can  eulogize  the  dead  prophet ;  but  let  the 
living  prqphet  appear,  teaching  arid  exemplifying  the 
same  doctrine  which  his  predecessor  once  taught,  arid 
he  is  intolerable.  The  cry  is  raised,  "  Away  with  him 
from  the  earth  ;  for  it  is  not  fit  that  he  should  live." 
How  were  the  old  prophets  treated  by  those  among 
whom  they  lived  ?  "  They  had  trial  of  cruel  mock- 
ings  and  scourgings,  yea,  moreover,  of  bonds  and  im 
prisonments.  They  were  stoned,  they  were  saAvn 
asunder,  were  tempted,  were  slain  with  the  sword. 
They  wandered  about  in  sheep-skins  and  goat-skins, 
being  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented.  They  wandered 
in  deserts,  and  in  mountains,  and  in  dens  and  caves  of 
the  earth."  (Heb.  xi.  36—38.)  But  after  they  had 
been  dead  for  ages,  then  many  were  eager  to  sing  their 
praises  and  build  their  sepulchres.  But  when  Christ 
appeared,  teaching  the  same  doctrines  with  the  old 
prophets,  "  they  said,  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad :  why 
hear  ye  him  ?  Crucify  him  !  Crucify  him  !  "  And  thus 
Satan  manages,  from  age  to  age.  At  the  reformation, 
there  were  many  who  would  eulogize  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  who  were  exceedingly  bitter  against  such 
living  prophets  as  John  Calvin  and  John  Knox  ;  but 
when  Calvin  arid  Knox  were  dead,  and  Whitefield  and 
Edwards  were  the  living  prophets,  then  the  same  scenes 
were  acted  over.  Half  the  pulpits  in  the  country  were 
shut  against  Whitefield,  while  he  was  alive ;  and  Jona 
than  Edwards  was  driven  from  his  church,  at  the  age 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        189 

of  forty-seven,  and  took  refuge  among  the  Indians. 
But,  now  that  Edwards  and  Whitefield  have  been  dead 
near  one  hundred  years,  the  devil  and  revival-fighting 
men  would  gladly  turn  over  their  great  names  into  the 
ranks  of  the  enemy,  and  borrow  influence  from  the 
reputation  of  Edwards  and  Whitefield,  to  make  war 
against  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  this  age.  It 
is  just  as  absurd  as  the  conduct  of  the  Jews,  when 
they  quoted  Elijah  and  Isaiah,  to  keep  them  in  counte 
nance  while  they  were  denouncing  Christ  and  his  apos 
tles.  My  son,  allow  me  to  speak  plainly.  You  have 
fallen  into  a  great  error ;  nay,  you  are  taken  captive  in 
a  dreadful  snare  of  the  devil,  and  your  danger  is  immi 
nent.  God  is  the  same,  from  age  to  age.  God's  word 
is  the  same.  "  The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth  ; 
but  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  forever."  God's 
Spirit  is  the  same  now  as  in  the  days  of  the  apostles 
and  prophets.  The  sinner  that  is  converted  now,  is 
converted  by  the  same  Spirit,  and  the  same  truth, 
that  turned  souls  to  God  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
Before  Christ  ascended  up  on  high,  he  gave  this 
promise  to  the  church  :  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always, 
even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  That  promise  he  has 
never  violated,  nor  is  it  necessary  to  go  back  a  hun 
dred  years,  to  find  tokens  and  proofs  of  his  presence 
with  the  church.  There  is  as  much  guilt  brought 
upon  the  soul  by  blaspheming  the  Holy  Ghost  now,  as 
there  was  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Blasphemy  is 
evil  speaking.  Beware  how  you  speak  against  the 
Holy  Ghost,  sent  down  from  heaven  ! 

Youth.     But  —  but  understand  me.     I  only  spoke 
against  spurious  revivals. 

Aged  Man.     Yes,  and  the  Jews  only  spoke  against 


190  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

spurious  works  of  Christ ;  but,  according  to  them,  his 
works  were  all  spurious.  "  He  cast  out  devils  by 
Beelzebub  ;  "  and  in  his  public  preaching  they  alleged, 
"  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  rnad."  So  with  you  —  all 
modern  revivals  are  spurious ;  and,  to  find  any  that 
you  can  approve,  you  must  go  back  a  hundred  years, 
among  people  and  preachers  who  are  all  dead,  and 
gone  to  eternity,  and  who,  while  they  were  living, 
"  were  men  of  like  passions  with  ourselves,"  and  were 
"every  where  spoken  against."  You  profess  to  be  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel.  Look  at  your  own  ministry. 
Does  God  bless  it  ?  Does  God  convert  sinners  by  your 
preaching  ?  or  is  your  ministry  bleak  and  barren  as  the 
mountains  of  Gilboa  ?  Who  authorized  you  to  be  a 
barren  fig-tree  in  the  vineyard  of  God  ?  Who  author 
ized  you  to  be  an  unprofitable  servant  ?  "  Cast  the 
beam  out  of  thine  own  eye,  and  then  shalt  thou  see 
clearly  to  cast  the  mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye." 
But  beware  of  evil  speaking.  That  sin,  which  shuts 
the  gate  of  heaven  against  the  soul  forever,  is  a  sin  of 
the  tongue.  All  evil  speaking  does  not  rise  to  the 
aggravation  of  the  unpardonable  sin  ;  but  very  clearly 
the  doctrine  is  taught,  that  evil  speaking  tends  to  grieve 
away  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  this  is  found  in  the  experi 
ence  of  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Mark  that  man  who 
speaks  bitterly,  or  even  lightly,  of  the  revivals  which 
God  grants  to  the  church  in  this  day.  Does  God  ever 
own  his  ministry  again,  after  he  has  lifted  his  tongue 
against  revivals  ?  Does  God  make  him  an  honored 
instrument  in  converting  sinners  ?  No.  God  smites 
his  ministry  with  barrenness,  for  the  sin  of  his  tongue  ; 
and  he  walks,  a  naked  skeleton,  among  the  churches, 
till  the  day  of  his  death.  There  is  a  peculiar  dread- 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        191 

fulness  in  the  rebuke  with  which  God  visits  that  min 
ister  who  lifts  his  tongue  against  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  See  that  tali  tree,  along  whose  trunk  has 
flashed  the  lightning  of  angry  heaven  !  Does  it  ever 
bud  or  bloom  again?  No.  There  it  stands,  deso 
late,  dreary,  dead.  The  spring  returns,  with  its  warm 
gales,  its  genial  showers,  and  its  quickening  sunbeams. 
Other  plants  feel  the  reviving  influence.  Nature  all 
around  awakes  and  rejoices.  Gushing  streams  of  life 
are  pushing  forth  buds,  blossoms,  leaves,  and  young 
formations  of  fruit,  on  every  hand.  But  O,  that  dead 
tree  !  No  bud,  no  leaf,  no  blossom,  or  young  formation 
of  fruit,  is  there.  The  quickening  power  of  spring, 
the  warm  and  strong,  energies  of  summer,  affect  it 
not.  It  stands  dreary,  desolate,  dead.  Yes,  it  stands 
leafless,  limbless,  barkless  —  scattering  on  all  around 
its  mouldering  and  unsavory  dust.  Sad  emblem  of 
the  decayed  and  dead  ministry  of  that  deluded  man 
who  has  lifted  a  profane  tongue  against  the  visitations 
of  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  accompany  the  gospel  in 
the  present  day ! 

Youth.  I  must  remind  you  that  I  am  altogether  in 
favor  of  such  revivals  as  were  granted  in  the  days  of 
Edwards  and  the  reformers.  It  was  only  of  these 
modern  revivals  that  I  said  they  do  more  harm  than 
good.  I  spoke  lightly  of  these  only. 

Aged  Man.  Yes,  so  I  understand  you.  And  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  were  altogether  in  favor  of  the 
revivals  under  Samuel  and  Elijah,  eight  hundred  or  a 
thousand  years  before  they  were  born.  It  was  only 
of  the  then  modern  reformations,  under  the  ministry 
of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  that  they  wished  to  speak 
lightly  or  reproachfully.  Let  me  warn  you  again,  that 


192  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

you  have  taken  a  most  perilous  stand.  Know  you  not 
that  the  Father  of  Lights  is  the  same  from  age  to  age, 
"  without  variableness,  or  shadow  of  turning  "  ?  Know 
you  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  "  the  same  yesterday,  to 
day,  and  forever  "  ?  Know  you  not  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  unchangeably  the  same  ?  Know  you  not  that 
heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  one  jot  or  one 
tittle  of  Christ's  gospel  shall  not  pass  away  ?  The 
same  divine  Redeemer,  the  same  word  of  truth,  the 
same  Holy  Spirit,  that  were  with  the  church,  and  in 
the  church,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  are  with  the 
church,  and  in  the  church,  at  this  day,  and  will  be,  to 
the  end  of  the  world.  The  guilt,  therefore,  of  blas 
pheming  the  Holy  Ghost  now,  is  the  same  as  when 
Christ  was  on  earth,  or  when  the  cloven  tongues  sat 
upon  the  apostles.  I  mentioned  that  all  evil  speaking 
against  the  Holy  Ghost  may  not  rise  to  the  aggravation 
of  the  unpardonable  sin.  It  is  very  clear  that  a  Chris 
tian  minister  may  be  deluded  by  the  devil  to  so  speak 
against  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that,  while  the 
sin  may  not  actually  kill  both  his  soul  and  body  in 
hell,  yet  it  may  cripple  his  ministry  for  life.  He  may 
be  saved  at  last,  "  yet  so  as  by  fire."  That  is,  his 
soul  may  be  saved,  while  his  works  are  burned  up  in 
the  flames  of  the  great  day.  In  conclusion,  let  me 
admonish  you  to  read  the  comments  of  God's  provi 
dence  on  the  lessons  taught  in  his  word.  It  is  of  these 
lessons  that  the  inspired  psalmist  says,  "  Whoso  is  wise, 
and  will  observe  these  things,  even  they  shall  under 
stand."  (Ps.  cvii.  43.)  Now,  observe  the  comments 
of  Providence.  Did  the  men  who  resisted  the  work 
under  Edwards  and  Whitefield  ever  prosper  afterwards, 
as  preachers  of  the  gospel  ?  Was  not  the  rebuke  of 


THE    LIVING    AND    DEAD    PROPHETS.        193 

God  on  them  till  the  day  of  their  death  ?  Look  at  the 
comments  of  Providence,  at  a  later  day.  Where  are  the 
men  who  made  themselves  conspicuous  in  our  country, 
but  a  few  years  ago,  in  opposition  to  revivals  ?  Has  God 
blessed  their  ministry  since  ?  Are  they  not  crippled 
for  life  ?  Has  not  their  ministry,  ever  since,  been  like 
the  seven  ears  of  corn,  in  Pharaoh's  second  vision, 
"  withered  and  thin,  and  blasted  with  the  east  wind  "  ? 
Ah,  my  young  friend,  I  have  seen  enough  in  the  vol 
ume  of  God's  word,  and,  during  some  years  past,  in 
the  volume  of  his  providence,  to  make  me  tremble  for 
the  man  who  employs  his  tongue  and  his  breath  in 
stigmatizing,  or  even  mocking,  and  making  light  of 
the  manifestations  of  God's  Spirit,  at  this  day,  in  con 
nection  with  the  truths  of  his  glorious  gospel !  Pitia 
ble  and  forlorn  is  his  condition  who  is  driven  to  the 
wretched  expedient  of  building  the  sepulchre  of  some 
dead  prophet,  in  order  to  quiet  a  conscience  that  is 
troubled  in  view  of  his  having  scoffed  at  the  divine 
mercy  that  accompanies  the  ministry  of  the  prophet 
that  is  living. 

17 


194  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


THE    DIVINITY    STUDENT. 


WHEN  the  red  man,  retreating  before  the  face  of  his 
white  brother,  forsook  those  romantic  and  beautiful 
regions  that  are  watered  by  the  Holstein  and  the 
Tennessee,  divine  Providence  planted  a  people  there 
remarkable  for  their  attachment  to  the  Bible.  Bible 
history,  Bible  doctrines,  and  Bible  religion  were  "  the 
joy  of  their  heart,  and  the  boast  of  their  tongue." 
Divine  truth,  revealed  in  the  word  of  God,  was  their 
"  meat  arid  their  drink."  It  was  their  daily  study.  It 
was  their  literature.  It  was  the  theme  of  their  social 
intercourse.  It  was  the  source  of  their  consolations 
on  earth,  and  the  foundation  of  their  hopes  for  immor 
tality.  The  learned  theologian,  who  chanced  to  pass 
that  way,  was  delighted  and  surprised  to  find,  in  a  new 
and  comparatively  rough  country,  among  a  plain,  unos 
tentatious  people,  views  of  divine  truth  clearer  than 
the  crystal  streams  that  flowed  among  their  towering 
hills,  and  sweeter  than  the  salubrious  breezes  that 
fanned  their  mountain  country.  The  following  anec 
dote  will  show  with  what  accuracy  and  discrimination 
the  great  doctrines  of  the  gospel  were  studied  in  the 
west,  at  that  early  day  :  — 

Dr.  Anderson,  now  of  the  theological  seminary  at 
Maryville,  had  undertaken  the  supervision  of  an  acade 
my  in  Knox  county,  Tennessee,  as  early  as  the  year 
1807.  Among  his  students  was  Abel  Pearson,  a  youth 


THE    DIVINITY    STUDENT.  195 

who  had  embraced  religion,  and  who,  while  pursuing 
his  literary  studies,  exhibited  great  appetite  and  capacity 
for  investigating  the  sublime  philosophy  of  the  plan  of 
salvation.  This  greatly  delighted  his  instructor,  who, 
though  then  quite  a  young  minister,  had  already  begun 
to  display  those  gigantic  powers,  as  an  expounder  of 
Bible  truth,  which  have  since  been  so  astonishingly 
unfolded  to  the  edification  and  joy  of  the  church. 
Learned  critics,  in  comparing  the  Iliad  of  Homer  with 
the  Odyssey,  have  alleged  that  the  latter  poem,  having 
more  narrative  and  less  fire  than  the  former,  bears  the 
marks  of  old  age.  An  elegant  writer  observes,  that  if 
the  Odyssey  has  the  marks  of  old  age,  it  is  the  old  age 
of  Homer.  In  like  manner,  I  observe,  that  if  the 
academical  instructor  above  mentioned  was  then  but  a 
youth,  it  was  the  youth  of  Isaac  Anderson.  And  of 
the  student  I  may  say,  that  he  was  a  student  worthy 
of  his  instructor. 

This  young  man,  before  completing  his  studies,  was 
providentially  called  into  a  neighboring  county,  where 
strong  prejudices  were  entertained  against  the  Presby 
terian  church,  their  doctrines  were  denounced  as  hor 
rible,  and  even  their  ministers  were  assailed  as  learned 
Pharisees,  who  preached  merely  from  their  learning, 
without  any  heart-religion,  &c.,  &c.,  while  their  assail 
ants  claimed  a  species  of  inspiration,  and  professed  to 
preach  from  the  immediate  teachings  of  the  Spirit. 

Our  student,  after  a  long  day's  ride,  stopped  for  the 
night  at  a  house  where  one  of  these  semi-inspired 
preachers  had  an  appointment  to  deliver  a  sermon  at 
candle  light.  The  congregation  assembled,  the  minister 
came,  and  our  young  man  took  his  place  in  the  audi 
ence  unobserved.  The  preacher  proved  to  be  a  red-hot 


196  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Arminian,  who  boasted  that  his  back  had  never  been 
rubbed  against  the  walls  of  a  college,  and  whose  zeal 
for  the  propagation  of  his  peculiarities  was  sufficiently 
ardent,  though  his  knowledge  of  polemic  theology  was 
somewhat  scant.  Endowed,  however,  with  lungs  of 
great  power,  he  commenced  and  "  reported  progress," 
dealing,  as  he  moved  along,  many  a  merciless  blow  at 
John  Calvin,  John  Knox,  John  Wetherspoon,  and  others, 
all  and  singular,  who  have  maintained  the  doctrines 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  warning  his  audience,  in 
the  mean  time,  to  use  his  own  expression,  against  "  the 
great,  high-learned  men,"  who  were  preaching  in  some 
of  the  neighboring  counties.  While  in  the  full  tide 
of  his  boisterous  declamation,  it  appeared,  doubtless, 
to  his  own  mind,  quite  problematical  whether  Calvin 
ism  would  be  able  to  survive  the  terrors  of  that  dreadful 
night ;  but  as  all  preceding  storms  had  been  succeeded 
by  a  calm,  so  it  turned  out  in  this  case.  The  sermon 
closed.  The  audience  dispersed.  The  preacher,  who 
remained  with  the  family  for  the  night,  found  himself 
in  company  with  our  student. 

Preacher.  Do  you  live  in  this  neighborhood,  young 
man? 

Student.     No,  sir. 

Preacher.     Where  is  your  home  ? 

Student.     In  Knox  county. 

Preacher.     Are  you  a  member  of  the  church  ? 

Student.     Yes,  sir. 

Preacher.     To  what  church  do  you  belong  ? 

Student.     I  am  a  Presbyterian. 

Preacher.     What !  a  Presbyterian  ? 

Student.     Yes,  sir. 

Preacher.  Why,  do  you  believe  the  confession  of 
faith  ? 


THE    DIVINITY    STUDENT.  197 

Student.  Certainly  I  do,  or  I  should  not  be  a  Pres 
byterian. 

Preacher.  Why,  sir,  the  confession  of  faith  says, 
"  God  has,  for  his  own  glory,  foreordained  whatsoever 
comes  to  pass." 

Student.     It  does. 

Preacher.     And  do  you  believe  that  ? 

Student.  Certainly  I  do.  Do  not  you  believe  the 
Bible  ?, 

Preacher.  Yes  ;  but  that  language  is  not  in  the 
Bible. 

Student.  The  Bible  tells  you  that  God  "  worketh 
all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will,"  which  is 
precisely  the  same  doctrine. 

Preacher.  But  the  doctrine  of  predestination  is 
unreasonable.  My  reason  revolts,  whenever  it  is  pre 
sented. 

Student.  I  will  examine  that  point  with  you,  if 
you  will  answer  each  question  I  ask  you,  and  then 
stick  to  the  answer  you  have  given. 

Preacher.  I  can  easily  do  that ;  but  you  could  not 
make  me  acknowledge  that  doctrine  in  a  lifetime. 

Student.  I  should  not  want  a  lifetime,  unless  it 
were  a  very  short  one.  Remember,  now,  this  is  our 
agreement :  you  are  to  answer  each  question  I  ask,  and 
then  stick  to  the  answer  you  have  given. 

Preacher.  Yes,  that  is  the  agreement.  Now,  come 
on  with  your  questions. 

Student.  You  acknowledge  that  God  foreknows  all 
things  from  eternity  ? 

Preacher.  O,  yes ;  but  then  foreknowledge  is  a 
very  different  thing  from  predestination. 

Student.     Well,    we   will    not   dispute   about   that 
17* 


198  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK, 

now.  You  admit  that  God  foreknew  all  events  from 
eternity  ? 

Preacher.  Yes,  certainly.  I  am  not  going  to  deny 
God's  foreknowledge. 

Student.     Well,  stick  to  that. 

Preacher.  1  maintain  the  doctrine  of  God's  fore 
knowledge  as  firmly  as  you. 

Student.  If  God  from  eternity  foreknew  all  future 
events,  it  must  have  been  in  one  of  these  three  ways  : 
First,  he  saw  that  future  events  would  spring  into 
existence  by  chance,  without  any  cause  ;  or,  second, 
he  depended  on  some  other  being  to  bring  them  about ; 
or,  third,  he  had  determined  to  bring  them  about  him 
self.  Can  you  think  of  any  other  method  ?  or  was  it 
not  in  one  of  these  three  ways  ? 

Preacher.  I  suppose  it  was  in  one  of  these  methods. 
I  can  think  of  no  other. 

Student.  Well,  was  it  the  first  ?  Did  God  from  all 
eternity  behold  all  future  events  springing  into  exist 
ence  by  mere  chance,  without  any  cause  ? 

Preacher.     No,  I  think  not. 

Student.     To  maintain  that,  would  be  atheism. 

Preacher.  Yes,  to  say  that  God  from  eternity  saw 
that  all  future  events  would  spring  into  existence  with 
out  any  cause,  merely  by  accident,  would  be  atheism. 

Student.  Well,  there  was  a  period  when  no  being 
existed  but  God,  —  I  mean  the  period  before  he  had 
created  either  man  or  angels.  Could  he  then  have 
depended  on  any  other  being  to  bring  into  existence 
the  future  events  which  he  foresaw,  when  there  was 
no  other  being  in  existence  ? 

Preacher.     Certainly  not.     But  what  next  ? 

Student.     What  do  you  say  ?     But  one  other  method 


THE    DIVINITY    STUDENT.  199 

remains :  that  is,  he  himself  had  determined  to  bring 
them  to  pass. 

Preacher.  Stop !  I  was  too  fast.  I  should  not 
have  admitted  your  statement.  There  was  another 
method,  in  which  God  foresaw  the  future  existence  of 
some  things. 

Student.  This  is  violating  your  agreement ;  for 
you  were  to  stick  to  the  answer  you  had  given.  But 
let  us  hear  what  you  were  going  to  say. 

Preacher.  I  say  God  knew,  from  "  the  reason  and 
nature  of  things,"  how  some  events  would  come  to  pass. 

Student.  Pray,  sir,  what  sort  of  a  reason  and  nature 
had  things,  before  God  created  all  things,  and  gave 
them  a  reason  and  a  nature  ?  Thus  you  see  your 
whole  foundation  is  swept  away ;  and  you  can  find  no 
resting-place,  until  you  come  back  to  the  good  old 
Bible  doctrine,  that  "  all  things  are  of  God." 

Preacher.  Well,  rather  than  admit  that  doctrine,  I 
will  deny  that  God  foreknows  all  things.  I  would 
rather  deny  the  foreknowledge  of  God,  than  admit  the 
doctrine  of  predestination. 

Student.  If  you  deny  the  foreknowledge  of  God, 
you  may  as  well  deny  his  present  knowledge  ;  for  the 
Bible  teaches  the  one  as  plainly  as  the  other  •  and, 
indeed,  there  is  scarcely  a  step  from  the  position  you 
have  assumed,  to  the  doctrine  of  him  who  "  says  in 
his  heart,  There  is  no  God."  Now,  sir,  you  see  the 
wretched  result  to  which  you  come  in  this  discussion 
with  me  ;  and  all  this  family  see  it.  I  am  no  minis 
ter.  I  am  but  a  youthful  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  I  have  no  pretensions  to  distinction  among 
them  ;  and  yet  you  see  how  you  have  come  out  in 
this  discussion  with  me.  In  the  course  of  your  sermon 


200  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

to-night,  you  said  many  things  against  those  "  great, 
high-learned  men,"  who  are  preaching  in  the  neigh 
boring  counties.  You  arraigned  their  motives,  and 
denounced  their  principles.  I  must  caution  you  to  be 
more  modest  and  moderate,  and  not  hazard  too  much 
in  this  warfare  ;  for  if  you  have  come  out  thus  wretch 
edly  in  a  little  discussion  with  me  —  a  mere  stripling 
—  a  mere  boy  in  the  Presbyterian  church  —  what  on 
earth  do  you  think  would  become  of  you,  should  you 
fall  into  the  hands  of  one  of  those  "  great,  high-learned 
men,"  whom  you  have  been  so  violently  and  publicly 
denouncing. 

Here  the  discussion  closed.  Whether  any  permanent 
and  profitable  impression  was  left  on  the  mind  of  the 
anti-Calvinistic  preacher,  is  not  certainly  known.  Of 
the  divinity  student,  however,  it  should  be  recorded, 
that,  in  due  time,  he  entered  the  gospel  ministry.  He 
became  distinguished  as  an  able  expounder  of  the  holy 
oracles.  Many,  very  many,  of  our  Lord's  disciples  in 
the  west  have  sat  under  his  ministry  with  great  delight, 
while  he  has  "  fed  them  with  knowledge  and  under 
standing."  Laboring,  like  the  great  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles,  with  his  own  hands,  to  supply  his  temporal 
wants,  he  has,  without  cost  to  the  church,  preached 
salvation  to  destitute  thousands.  And  the  author  of 
the  "  Western  Sketch-Book,"  with  emotions  of  grati 
tude  to  the  Giver  of  all  good,  would  record  on  this 
page,  that  he  has  had  the  privilege  of  profiting  much 
by  the  clear,  sublime,  scriptural  views  of  the  mighty 
work  of  redemption,  presented  in  the  familiar  conver 
sations,  the  sermons,  and  the  published  writings  of 
Rev.  Abel  Pearson. 


1HE    VOICE    OF    CONSCIENCE.  201 


JO;    OR,  THE  VOICE  OE  CONSCIENCE. 


ABOUT  the  year  1820,  I  became  particularly  acquainted 
with  a  venerable  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
East  Tennessee,  whom  I  will  introduce  to  the  reader 
as  Mr.  M'Clellan.  He  was  a  man  in  humble  circum 
stances,  advanced  in  life,  and  possessed  of  a  very  fine 
and  highly-cultivated  intellect.  He  belonged  to  that 
class  of  reading  Christians,  who  were  the  glory  of  the 
primitive  Presbyterian  church  in  the  west.  The  Bible, 
Henry's  "  Commentary,"  Doddridge's  "  Family  Ex 
positor,"  Boston's  "  Fourfold  State,"  the  "  Bible  Diction 
ary  "  of  John  Brown  of  Haddington,  Edwards  "  On  the 
Will,"  Edwards  "  On  the  Affections,"  Newton's  "  Let 
ters,"  Bellamy's  "  Wisdom  of  God  in  the  Permission  of 
Sin,"  &c.,  &c. :  such  is  a  sample  of  the  works  studied 
by  the  church  at  that  period.  Ah,  "  there  were  giants 
in  the  earth  in  those  days,"  alongside  of  whom  could 
some  of  our  modern  peacock-tail  theologians  be  placed, 
they  would  soon  learn  to  sympathize  most  fraternally 
with  the  spies  sent  out  by  Moses,  when  they  said,  "  We 
were  in  our  own  sight  as  grasshoppers  "  !  The  venerable 
Elder  M'Clellan,  mentioned  above,  was  remarkable  for 
the  fervor,  comprehensiveness,  and  power  of  his  prayers. 
Although  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  rolled 
into  eternity  since  I  last  heard  his  voice,  yet  the  very 
words  employed  in  some  of  his  earnest  and  thrilling 


202  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

petitions  are  fresh  in  my  memory  at  this  moment. 
The  truth  is,  he  had  been  baptized  with  the  spirit  of 
that  great  western  revival  in  the  year  1800,  one  of 
the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  which  was  the 
liberty,  compass,  and  power  of  prayer,  granted  to  the 
subjects  of  that  divine  visitation. 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1838,  I  visited  the  state 
of  Mississippi,  in  order  to  labor,  for  a  limited  period,  in 
connection  with  Rev.  Messrs.  Newton,  Holley,  and 
other  esteemed  brethren  there.  We  were  engaged,  for 
a  number  of  days,  in  a  very  interesting  and  solemn 
meeting  at  Grenada,  and  among  those  who  came  before 
the  session  and  the  church,  professing  "  repentance 
towards  God,  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ," 
was  a  young  Mr.  M'Clellan ;  and  lo,  I  was  presently 
informed  that  he  was  a  son  of  the  worthy  East  Ten 
nessee  elder,  with  whom  the  reader  is  already  acquaint 
ed  !  Like  a  good  soldier  in  the  Redeemer's  service, 
having  taken  his  stand  in  the  church,  he  sees  to  it  that 
his  house  is  a  house  of  prayer,  and  that  his  family  is 
consecrated  to  God.  From  this  son  I  learned  that  his 
venerable  father  had  long  since  gone  to  his  rest  in 
heaven. 

Our  meeting  at  Grenada  closed  on  Monday  evening. 
On  that  afternoon,  or,  perhaps,  the  next,  an  elder  brother, 
Col.  John  M'Clellan,  who  had  been  up  the  country, 
near  Holly  Springs,  and  was  now  returning  to  his  home, 
near  Carrollton,  called  to  spend  a  night  with  his  brother 
in  Grenada.  Learning  that  his  brother  had  made  a 
profession  of  religion  ;  that  he  had  joined  himself  to 
the  church  of  God  ;  and  finding,  when  the  hour  of 
prayer  came,  that  he  prayed  in  his  family,  and  would 
do  it  even  in  presence  of  an  ungodly  brother,  who 


THE    VOICE    OF    CONSCIENCE.  203 

was  some  twelve  or  fifteen  years  older  than  him 
self,  —  the  discovery  of  all  this,  O,  it  agitated  the 
great  deep  of  his  soul.  He  remembered  his  pious 
father.  He  remembered  his  counsel,  his  example,  and 
his  prayers.  He  remembered  the  warnings,  the  im 
pressions,  and  the  vows  of  years,  now  forever  gone. 
He  thought  of  the  prodigal  son,  who  left  his  father's 
house,  to  chase  the  pleasures  of  the  world.  "  Is  not 
my  word  as  a  fire  ?  saith  the  Lord  :  and  like  a  hammer 
that  breaketh  the  rock  in  pieces?"  Early  the  next 
morning,  Col.  M'Clellan,  silent  and  solemn,  set  out  for 
home.  The  character  of  his  meditations  and  reflec 
tions  on  the  road  can  be  more  easily  conceived  by  the 
reader,  than  described  by  me. 

On  the  following  Thursday,  according  to  appoint 
ment,  a  sacramental  meeting  was  commenced  at  Car- 
rollton.  To  that  meeting  I  went  in  company  with 
Rev.  Mr.  Newton  and  Rev.  Mr.  Holley.  It  was  early 
when  we  reached  the  meeting-house  ;  but  Col.  M'Clel 
lan  and  his  entire  family  were  already  there,  though 
his  residence  was  six  miles  distant.  He  was  standing, 
with  a  few  others,  who  had  come  early,  near  the  door 
of  the  church.  When  we  had  arrived,  Mr.  Newton 
introduced  me  to  Col.  M.  I  shook  hands  with  him, 
saying,  "  How  do  you  do,  Col.  M.  ?  I  am  happy  to 
see  you."  This  last  remark  was  made  in  reference  to 
the  fact,  that  I  had  been  acquainted  with  his  father, 
and  had  also  seen  him  in  his  younger  years.  I  was 
now  introduced  to  one  and  another  of  the  gentlemen 
who  were  standing  round,  and  engaged  in  some  tran 
sient  conversation,  when  brother  Holley  came,  and 
asked  me  to  step  off  a  little  way  from  the  company. 
"  Why,"  said  he,  "  Col.  M.  is  very  much  troubled, 
because  you  called  him  { Jo.'  " 


204  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  Because  I  called  him  '  Jo  '  ?  Why,  he  is  altogether 
mistaken.  I  didn't  call  him  i  Jo.'  " 

"  Yes  j  but  he  says  that  when  you  were  introduced 
to  him,  you  said,  l  How  do  you  do,  Joseph  ? '  And  he 
says  that  his  name  is  John.  Jo  was  a  brother  in  the 
family ;  but  the  colonel  says  his  name  is  John.  Jo 
was  the  drinking  one." 

"  Very  good.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  colonel's 
name  is  John.  I  did  not  know  that  there  was  a  Jo  in 
the  family,  and  therefore  very  certainly  did  not  call 
him  <  Jo.'  " 

About  this  juncture,  brother  Newton,  our  other 
preacher,  came  up,  and,  addressing  me,  said,  "  Col. 
M.  is  quite  vexed,  because  you  called  him  '  Jo,'  when 
you  were  introduced  to  him." 

"But  I  did  not  call  him  <  Jo.'  I  did  not  say  <  Jo,' 
nor  think  l  Jo.'  The  fact  is,  I  did  not  know  that  there 
was  a  Jo  in  the  family." 

"  But  he  is  very  positive  that  you  did  j  and  he  says 
that  his  name  is  John.  Jo  was  a  brother.  Jo  was  the 
drinking  one." 

"  Why,  this  is  a  very  strange  affair.  What  on  earth 
can  have  put  it  into  the  colonel's  head,  that  I  called 
him  '  Jo,'  when  I  didn't  know  that  there  was  a  Jo  in 
the  family  ?  I  am  entirely  satisfied  that  his  name  should 
be  John."  Such  was  my  reply  to  brother  Newton  ; 
but  I  must  here  tell  the  reader  what,  at  that  time,  I 
myself  did  not  know  —  that  is,  it  was  the  colonel's 
conscience  that  had  said  "  Jo,"  and  pronounced  it  so 
distinctly,  that  he  thought  the  name  was  uttered  by 
me ;  and  he  was  so  affected  by  it,  that  he  hurried 
round  among  his  acquaintances,  telling  them  that  I 
had  called  him  "  Jo,"  and  resolutely  maintaining  that 
his  name  was  John. 


THE    VOICE    OF    CONSCIENCE.  205 

The  people  of  the  congregation  were  yet  in  the  act 
of  assembling,  and,  as  it  was  a  full  half  hour  until 
preaching-time,  I  concluded  to  step  into  a  house,  that 
was  near  by,  and  sit  down  for  a  few  minutes.  As  soon 
as  I  had  entered,  Mrs.  More,  the  lady  of  the  house,  in 
troduced  me  to  a  very  respectable-looking,  well-dressed 
Mississippi  lady  —  "  This  is  Mrs.  Col.  M."  I  spoke  to 
her,  and  then  took  a  seat.  She  immediately  turned 
her  fine,  broad  eye  and  full  countenance  upon  me,  and, 
with  much  earnestness,  said,  "  This  is  not  c  Jo.'  My 
husband's  name  is  John.  Jo  was  a  brother  of  my 
husband  ;  but  it  was  John  that  was  introduced  to  you." 

"  So  I  learn,  madam  —  so  I  learn,"  said  I,  surprised 
that  the  colonel  should  have  found  opportunity  to  com 
municate  to  so  many  persons  the  unlucky  misnomer, 
though  imaginary,  which  had  so  greatly  disturbed  him. 
Scarcely,  however,  had  the  good  lady  and  I  come  to  a 
satisfactory  understanding  that  her  husband's  name  was 
John,  and  that  Jo  was  quite  another  person,  when  the 
colonel  himself  approached.  His  step,  his  counte 
nance,  his  whole  attitude  and  bearing,  showed  that 
something  of  immense  weight  was  pressing  on  his 
mind.  Wholly  ignorant  of  the  number  of  persons  who 
had  already  attempted  to  enlighten  me  on  the  subject, 
he  planted  his  tall,  fine  figure  directly  in  front  of  my 
chair,  and,  with  great  gravity,  thus  began :  — 

"  My  name  is  John.  Jo  was  a  brother  of  mine  ; 
but  my  name  is  John" 

"  Yes,  yes,  colonel.  So  I  understand  —  so  I  under 
stand." 

Now,  here  was  a  mighty  ado  to  get  the  fact  estab 
lished,  that  the  colonel's  name  was  not  Jo,  when  no 
one  had  said  he  was  Jo,  or  thought  he  was  Jo.  The 
18 


206  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

exact  explanation  of  this  matter  I  never  fully  learned. 
Whether,  the  colonel  being  an  elder  brother  in  the 
family,  conscience  now  reproached  him  that  he  had 
not.  after  his  father  was  taken  away,  set  such  an 
example  to  his  younger  brothers  as  was  his  duty, 
and  the  name  of  Jo  came  up  in  this  connection,  or 
whether,  as  "  Jo  was  the  drinking  one,"  and  conscience 
was  now  arraying  before  the  colonel's  agitated  mind 
the  long  catalogue  of  his  own  misdeeds,  he  felt  that 
these  were  as  heavy  as  he  could  bear,  and  therefore 
resolved  to  stand  manfully  on  the  defensive,  and, repel 
the  insinuation  that  he  was  Jo,  and,  consequently, 
liable  to  be  held  responsible  for  whatever  Jo  had  done 
amiss.  However  all  this  may  have  been,  the  hour  of 
preaching  was  now  at  hand,  and  the  company  left  the 
house  of  Mrs.  More,  and  went  towards  the  church. 
When  near  the  door,  the  colonel  paused  suddenly,  and 
asked  brothers  Newton,  Holley,  and  myself,  to  step 
aside  with  him,  that  he  might  speak  a  moment  with 
us,  unheard  by  others.  When  together  thus,  said  he, 
"  I  wish  to  say  to  you,  gentlemen,  that  you  must  not 
expect  me  to  take  any  public  step  in  religion  at  this 
meeting."  Nobody  had  said  that  we  expected  him  to 
take  any  public  step  in  religion  at  that  meeting.  It 
reminded  me  of  the  schoolboy  who  denies  before  he 
is  accused,  which  is  not  considered  the  best  sign  of 
innocence.  "  You  must  not,"  said  the  colonel,  repeat 
ing  the  caution  —  "  you  must  not  look  for  me  to  take 
any  public  step  in  religion  at  this  meeting.  At  the 
same  time,  I  don't  want  you  to  think  that  I  am  indif 
ferent  to  Christ.  I  am  not  indifferent  to  Christ."  His 
eyes  filled  with  tears.  His  voice  trembled.  His  utter 
ance  faltered.  After  a  momentary  pause,  by  a  strong 


THE    VOICE    OF    CONSCIENCE.  207 

effort,  he  rallied  his  conversational  powers,  and  pro 
ceeded.  "  The  fact  is,  gentlemen,  I  have  been  here 
in  Mississippi,  chasing  the  world,  and  neglecting  the 
salvation  of  my  soul.  I  now  see  that  what  I  have 
been  after  is  vanity,  folly,  emptiness.  But,  gentlemen, 
here  is  the  point :  I  am  not  informed  in  religion.  I 
tell  you  I  am  not  informed.  And,  now,  this  is  my 
plan  :  I  will  supply  myself  with  good  books,  and  take 
a  course  of  reading,  —  a  thorough  course,  gentlemen, 
—  and  will  inform  myself,  before  I  take  any .  public 
step  in  religion.  You  understand  me,  gentlemen.  At 
present,  I  am  not  informed,  and,  therefore,  you  must 
not  expect  me  to  act."  All  this  was  said  with  much 
gracefulness  and  elegance  of  manner ;  for  the  colonel 
was  now  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  of  fine  personal 
appearance,  easy  and  captivating  address,  and  possess 
ing  quite  an  unusual  flow  and  command  of  language. 
When  the  colonel  had  ceased  his  statement,  I  looked 
at  him  steadily,  for  a  moment  or  two,  but  remained 
silent ;  for  having  known  much  of  his  father,  and  of 
the  opportunities  of  his  father's  family,  I  was  con 
strained  to  withhold  my  assent,  absolutely,  from  the 
position,  that  he  was  "not  informed"  as  to  his  duty. 
Mr.  Newton,  however,  observed,  "  Well,  colonel,  I  am 
glad  to  find  that  you  are  thinking  seriously  on  the  sub 
ject  of  religion."  With  that,  we  all  turned  to  enter 
the  meeting-house. 

"  One  word  more,"  said  the  colonel.  "  You  will 
not,  while  here  at  Carroll  ton,  be  all  the  time  engaged 
in  preaching  ;  and  now  I  wish  any  leisure  moments 
you  may  have  from  public  duties,  during  this  meeting, 
to  be  employed  in  giving  me  the  information  which  I 
need.  Instruction,  gentlemen,  instruction  is  what  I 
want." 


208  THE    WESTERN    SKETC#-BO  OK, 

We  now  went  into  the  church.  There  was  a  large 
audience,  and  the  season  of  worship  was  deeply  solemn. 
We  then  had  an  interval  of  some  two  hours,  until  the 
afternoon  sermon.  The  colonel  went  to  his  lodgings, 
and  waited  anxiously  for  some  of  the  ministers  to  come 
and  "  inform  "  him  in  relation  to  his  duty.  But  no  one 
came.  He  thought  it  strange  that  his  case  was  not 
more  fully  appreciated.  To  his  own  mind,  his  guilt 
and  danger  appeared  such,  that  he  thought  every  min 
ister  on  the  ground  should  be  laboring  and  praying  for 
his  salvation  ;  and  yet,  had  any  one  come,  and  attempt 
ed  to  guide  or  direct  him  while  in  this  state  of  mind, 
he  would,  doubtless,  have  held  back,  and  fended  off  in 
fine  style.  Such  is  the  contradiction  often  found  in 
the  awakened  sinner.  He  is  unwilling  to  be  let  alone, 
and  yet  he  will  refuse  the  best  counsel  that  can  be 
given  him.  But  now  the  hour  of  public  worship  had 
come,  and  the  colonel  returned  to  the  church. 

The  afternoon  service  was  impressive,  and  stillness 
and  deep  solemnity  characterized  the  congregation. 
Again  there  was  a  recess  of  some  two  or  three  hours, 
until  the  time  for  the  night  sermon.  "  Now,"  thought 
the  colonel,  "  my  request  will  be  regarded,  beyond  a 
doubt.  Some  of  the  ministers  will  presently  come  to 
labor  with  me."  And  he  was  prepared  to  "  stand  upon 
his  reserved  rights."  But  no  one  came.  The  first 
hour  passed  away,  and  the  second,  and  the  third  ;  but 
no  one  came.  He  now  felt, a  strong  temptation  to  be 
offended  —  to  look  upon  himself  as  a  neglected,  injured 
man ;  and  he  returned  to  the  church  at  night,  "  heavy 
and  displeased." 

This  night's  meeting  rose  in  interest  and  solemnity 
beyond  either  of  the  others.  Judge  Shattuck  was 


THE    VOICE    OF    CONSCIENCE.  209 

called  on  to  offer  up  the  concluding  prayer.  He  was  a 
local  Methodist  preacher,  who  lived  in  the  near  neigh 
borhood,  a  man  of  worth  and  exemplary  piety.  His 
prayer  was  appropriate  and  powerful.  After  the  con 
gregation  was  dismissed,  Col.  M.  tarried  a  little,  to  give 
opportunity  to  any  of  the  ministers,  who  were  so  dis 
posed,  to  address  to  him  a  word  of  counsel  or  exhorta 
tion  ;  but,  strange  to  tell,  they  all  put  off  to  their 
several  homes,  without  making  the  attempt,  or  even 
noticing  the  opportunity.  This  was  wholly  out  of 
the  question.  There  is  a  point  beyond  which  patience 
itself  ceases  to  be  a  virtue.  So  the  colonel  resolved, 
that,  as  the  Presbyterians  were  so  inexcusably  and 
shamefully  negligent,  he  would  go  right  down  to  Judge 
Shattuck,  the  Methodist  preacher  ;  for  surely  the  man 
who  had  just  offered  up  such  a  prayer  would  be  glad 
to  converse  with  him  about  the  state  of  his  soul.  So 
off  he  started,  through  the  darkness,  blundering  along, 
and  finally  reached  the  house.  He  knocked  at  the 
door.  It  was  opened  by  Judge  Shattuck,  who  received 
him  pleasantly,  and  helped  him  to  a  chair.  The  col 
onel  sat  down  in  silence,  hoping  that  the  judge  would 
introduce  the  desired  conversation.  The  judge,  how 
ever,  started  off  into  a  lively  discussion  of  the  condi 
tion  of  the  Brandon  Bank  ;  the  amount  of  specie  in  its 
vaults,  compared  with  its  circulation ;  and  the  proba 
bilities  of  its  ever  being  able  to  meet  its  liabilities,  &c., 
&c.  The  colonel  was  amazed  that  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  could  expatiate  so  fluently  on  such  themes, 
when  here  a  soul  is  before  him  in  perishing  need  of 
religious  instruction.  "  But  surely  he  will  be  through 
presently,"  was  his  comforting  reflection,  "and  then 
the  other  subject  will  come  up."  And,  sure  enough, 
18  * 


210  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

before  long,  the  judge  came  to  a  pause,  though  it  was 
but  a  short  one,  when  off  he  dashed  in  another  direc 
tion,  discoursing  earnestly  about  the  whigs  and  the 
democrats ;  the  relative  strength  of  the  two  great 
political  parties  in  the  state  at  large  ;  and  which  was 
likely  to  have  a  controlling  influence  in  the  legislature, 
at  its  approaching  session.  "  This  will  never  do," 
thought  the  colonel ;  "I  must  introduce  the  subject 
of  religion  myself.  —  Judge  Shattuck,  that  was  a  very 
solemn  meeting  to-night."  "  Yes,"  said  Shattuck, 
rising  to  his  feet ;  "  when  you  wish  to  lie  down,  there 
is  a  bed.  Good  night."  And  out  he  went,  shutting 
the  door  after  him.  The  colonel  was  astounded. 
Presently  he  heard  the  voice  of  singing.  The  family 
were  at  worship  in  another  room,  to  which  he  was  not 
invited.  "  Well,  well,"  thought  the  colonel,  "  enough 
is  enough.  I  see  how  the  matter  stands.  If  I  wait 
for  preachers,  Presbyterian  or  Methodist,  to  pull  me  out 
of  the  horrible  pit,  I'm  gone."  So  down  he  went  on 
his  knees,  right  there  in  the  room,  and  told  the  Lord 
that  if  He  would  let  him  begin  now,  just  with  what 
"  information  "  he  had,  he  would  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come,  and  strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate,  and 
call  for  help  from  heaven,  through  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  as  long  as  life  should  endure. 

I  never  had  an  opportunity  of  conversing  with  Judge 
Shattuck  on  this  subject  ;  but  there  is  no  doubt  that 
he  understood  the  colonel's  case  fully,  and  treated  it 
wisely ;  for  he  was  a  very  shrewd  and  judicious  man. 
Most  likely  he  had  often  tried  before  to  bring  the  col 
onel's  mind  to  the  subject  of  religion,  when  he  had 
utterly  refused  to  hear,  and  now  thought  it  best  to  let 
him  wrestle  with  his  awakened  conscience,  without 


THE    VOICE    OF    CONSCIENCE.  211 

the  intermeddling  of  a  third  party.  In  the  above  sam 
ple  of  their  conversation,  I  pretend  not  to  give  accu 
rately  the  very  words  used  by  Judge  Shattuck.  The 
narrative  is  strictly  accurate  in  this  —  that  it  gives  a  fair 
specimen  of  the  dexterous  manner  in  which  the  judge 
played  off  from  the  main  question,  which  the  anxious 
sinner  wished  to  have  taken  up,  and  abruptly  left  him 
alone,  with  his  conscience  and  his  God.  The*  next 
morning,  we  all  met  at  the  church.  The  house  was 
crowded,  and  tha  great  Master  of  assemblies  was  there. 
In  a  little  time,  an  opportunity  was  given  to  those  who 
were  resolved  to  forsake  the  ways  of  sin  and  follow 
the  Savior,  to  manifest  their  determination,  by  coming 
forward,  in  the  presence  of  the  church,  that  prayer 
might  be  offered  up  in  their  behalf,  and  suitable  in 
structions  given.  No  sooner  was  the  invitation  published, 
than  from  the  far  end  of  the  house,  over  benches,  and 
blocks,  and  other  obstructions,  came  the  colonel,  tears 
streaming  over  both  his  cheeks ;  and  down  he  knelt, 
among  many  others.  After  a  solemn  pause,  he  lifted 
up  his  voice  in  prayer ;  and  the  depth  of  his  prostra 
tion  of  soul,  the  reverence  expressed  for  the  high  and 
holy  One,  the  wide  range  of  his  desires,  the  propriety, 
pathos,  and  power  of  his  prayer,  forcibly  reminded  me 
of  his  venerable  father,  whom  I  had  heard  pray  so 
many  years  ago.  The  associations  were  affecting  and 
overwhelming.  I  bowed  my  head  amongst  them  there, 
to  weep  with  those  that  wept,  and  rejoice  with  those 
that  did  rejoice. 

I  will  only  add,  further,  that,  during  this  interesting 
meeting,  some  twelve  or  fourteen  gentlemen  —  a  part 
of  them  were  the  heads  of  families  ;  all  of  them  were 
in  the  prime  of  life  —  commenced  praying  publicly  in 
the  prayer  meelings  of  the  church. 


212  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

As  for  the  colonel,  my  esteem  for  him  grew  with 
my  acquaintance  ;  and  when  I  returned  to  Missouri,  I 
wrote  him  a  fraternal  letter,  as  a  memorial  of  friend 
ship.  And  when  I  had  told  him  how  the  Lord  had 
graciously  preserved  my  family  during  my  absence, 
and  desired  him  to  remember  me  to  the  many  dear 
friends  I  had  left  in  Mississippi,  and  signed  my  name 
to  the  "letter,  I  wrote  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  page, 
opposite  my  name,  "  Col.  John  M'Clellan,"  making  a 
heavy  score  under  John.  I  then  folded  the  letter,  and 
directed  it  thus  :  "  Col.  John  M'Clellan,  Carrollton, 
Mississippi,"  again  emphasizing  the  John  with  a  heavy 
score.  I  knew  that  when  the  colonel  received  it,  he 
would  understand  it  all,  and  be  satisfied  that  in  my 
letter,  at  least,  I  had  not  called  him  "  Jo." 


RED    RIVER.  213 


RED    RIVER. 


IN  the  month  of  January,  1845,  I  made  my  first  visit 
to  the  people  on  Red  River.  Some  of  my  acquaint 
ances  had  emigrated  to  that  region,  and  had  written  to 
me,  stating  that  a  number  of  members  and  friends  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  were  already  in  that  country  j 
and  that  if  some  of  our  ministers  could  go  and  labor 
for  a  time  among  them,  their  hearts  would  be  strength 
ened  and  encouraged,  infant  churches  might  be  organ 
ized,  and  a  foundation  laid  for  extensive  permanent 
good. 

On  landing  at  Shreveport,  about  seven  hundred  miles 
above  New  Orleans,  I  was  astonished  to  learn  that  the 
American  settlements  on  Red  River  were  already  so 
extensive.  While  I  was  there,  a  steamboat,  loaded 
with  cotton,  came  down  from  a  point  some  four  hun 
dred  miles  higher  up  on  the  river  ;  and  the  oldest  mer 
chants  in  Shreveport  —  that  is,  those  who  had  been 
there  seven  or  eight  years  —  were  expressing  their 
amazement  at  the  rapidity  with  which  the  American 
settlements  were  extending  west. 

I  was  led  to  the  reflection,  that  we  should  look  with 
much  indulgence  on  the  mistakes  of  English  travellers, 
and  travellers  from  the  eastern  sections  of  our  own 
country,  concerning  the  condition  of  the  west,  when 
we  find  that  its  growth  and  advancement  outstrip  the 


214  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

conceptions  of  those  who  have  been  born,  and  have 
spent  all  their  days,  in  its  bosom. 

Much  of  the  population  in  this  part  of  the  country 
was  from  the  extreme  south  — •  Georgia,  Alabama,  and 
South  Carolina.  Many  of  them  were  religious  people, 
of  highly  cultivated  minds,  arid  ardent  piety.  Not  a 
few  of  them  were  the  acquaintances  and  personal 
friends  of  John  C.  Calhoun.  Their  admiration  and 
esteem  for  the  great  statesman  were  wonderful  —  not 
as  a  politician  merely,  but  as  an  eminently  good  man. 
Repeatedly  was  I  assured  by  them,  that  we,  who 
know  the  honorable  senator  only  as  a  political  man, 
know  but  little  of  his  sterling  worth,  compared  with 
those  who  have  had  access  to  his  society,  as  a  citizen 
at  home,  a  neighbor,  and  a  member  of  the  church  of 
Christ. 

While  laboring  at  Shreveport,  I  was  called  on  by  a 
Baptist  preacher,  who  told  me  that  he  lived  in  Texas, 
and  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  travel  with  me,  if  I 
would  consent  to  spend  some  time  in  that  republic  ; 
and  as  he  was  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  and 
the  roads  were  few  and  obscure,  he  could  be  service 
able  to  me  as  a  guide.  I  accepted  his  kind  offer,  and 
set  him  a  time  when  I  would  meet  him  at  Greenwood, 
within  four  miles  of  the  Texas  frontier.  At  this 
period,  Texas  was  no  part  of  the  American  Union. 
When  the  appointed  time  had  come,  my  Baptist 
preacher  met  me  at  Greenwood  ;  and  we  started  for 
his  home,  which  was  at  the  distance  of  eighteen  miles. 
We  passed  the  broad  lane,  cut  through  the  tall  timber, 
which  showed  the  boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  and  the  young  republic ;  and  after  swimming 
some  streams,  and  traversing  divers  canebrakes,  we 


BED    RIVER.  215 


reached  the  house  of  my  friend  in  safety.  Many  of 
the  neighbors  were  assembled,  according  to  an  appoint 
ment  previously  made ;  and  on  that  night  I  had  the 
privilege,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  of  preaching  the 
gospel  beyond  the  limits  of  the  United  States. 

Early  the  next  morning,  my  friend  and  I  set  out  for 
Marshall,  the  county  seat  of  Harrison  county,  Texas. 
It  was  eighteen  miles ;  yet  he  uttered  no  word  of  re 
luctance  about  going  so  far ;  and  the  country  was  so 
new  and  pathless,  that  I  should  scarcely  have  found 
the  way  without  a  guide.  When  we  had  gained  an 
eminence  that  overlooked  the  town,  the  Baptist  preacher 
reined  up  his  horse,  and  took  a  survey  of  the  prospect 
before  us.  It  was  not  very  promising.  The  buildings 
were  mostly  small  log  houses,  covered  with  clapboards  ; 
and  the  bushes  were  growing  all  over  the  public  square, 
and  along  the  streets.  "  Stop,"  said  he  ;  "  there  is  not 
an  ear  of  corn  in  this  place."  I  did  not,  at  first,  com 
prehend  his  meaning,  and  asked  what  it  was  that  he 
had  remarked.  "  There  is  not  one  ear  of  corn  in  this 
place.  We  cannot  find  accommodation  even  for  our 
horses.  Come,  let  us  go  back.  I  have  an  appointment 
for  the  Sabbath  in  my  neighborhood.  Our  people  will 
be  glad  to  hear  you  preach.  Come,  let  us  go  back." 

"  I  think  I  am  too  old  a  soldier  to  adopt  that  course," 
was  my  reply.  "  I  have  been  on  many  a  hard  cam 
paign  ;  and  I  think  I  must  go  down  into  the  town,  and 
see  who  live  here,  before  I  can  consent  to  leave  the 
neighborhood." 

"  Yery  well,"  said  he  ;  "  if  that  is  your  determina 
tion,  I  will  go  with  you."  So  on  we  rode  into  the 
public  square  of  the  town  of  Marshall. 

After  reconnoitring  for  a  little  time,  we  entered  a 


216  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

lawyer's  office,  that  bordered  on  the  public  square. 
He  was  from  the  state  of  Georgia.  His  name  was 
William  Pinkney  Hill.  I  told  him  that  I  was  a  Pres 
byterian  minister ;  and  that  I  had  come  to  visit  them, 
and  would  be  pleased  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
preaching  to  the  people  of  Marshall  and  the  vicinity. 
He  received  me  in  a  manner  the  most  gentlemanly  and 
cordial,  expressed  a  high  degree  of  satisfaction  that  I 
had  come  on  such  an  errand,  and  said  he  would  forth 
with  take  measures  for  having  a  congregation  assem 
bled  on  the  next  day.  Moreover,  he  kindly  invited 
me  to  make  his  house  my  home  while  I  should  remain 
in  the  country,  which  invitation  I  very  gladly  accepted  ; 
an,d,  truly.  I  found  it  a  most  delightful  home.  Yes,  the 
recollection  of  the  interesting  and  worthy  family  into 
which  I  was  thus  introduced,  has  often,  in  succeeding 
years,  awaked  in  my  soul  the  most  lively  and  pleasing 
emotions. 

In  this  neighborhood,  at  that  time,  resided  also  Mr. 
Yan  Zandt,  the  former  minister  from  Texas  to  the 
United  States.  From  him,  and  from  his  family,  I 
received  many  kind  attentions.  Other  names,  and 
other  families,  occur  to  my  mind,  that  might,  with 
much  propriety,  be  mentioned  here,  were  it  not  for 
swelling  the  record  beyond  the  intended  bounds.  I 
must  not,  however,  omit  the  mention  of  a  young 
lawyer,  whose,  state  of  mind  interested  me  greatly. 
He  was  possessed  of  a  fine  intellect,  good  habits,  and 
a  warm  heart.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire, 
and,  after  completing  his  education,  had  gone  to  Texas, 
hoping  to  earn  a  livelihood  by  the  practice  of  the  law. 
He  had  been  successful.  His  worldly  prospects  were 
now  very  flattering  ;  and,  like  "  the  younger  son,  in  a 


RED    RIVER.  217 


far  country,"  he  began  to  call  to  mind  the  privileges 
of  his  father's  house.  He  attended  our  meetings,  and 
appeared  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel.  I  first  noticed  the  expression  of  deep  and 
strong  emotion  in  his  countenance  when  the  follow 
ing  appeal  was  made,  near  the  close  of  a  sermon  :  "  It 
is  true,  friends,  that  your  country  is  yet  new.  As  the 
night  draws  on,  you  still  hear  the  howl  of  the  hungry 
wolf,  and  that  howl  is  answered  by  the  shrill  scream 
of  the  fierce  panther  ;  and  brief  is  the  space  since  your 
hills  and  valleys  echoed  the  wild  yell  and  the  ominous 
warwhoop  of  the  savage  and  hostile  Indian.  Yes,  your 
country  is  yet  new.  Its  inhabitants  are  thinly  scat 
tered  here  and  there,  mostly  strangers  to  each  other  ; 
and  the  church  of  the  blessed  Savior  has  scarcely 
begun  to  put  on  a  visible  form  among  you.  But  this 
land  is  Immanuel's  land.  It  has  been  given  to  Christ 
in  the  covenant  of  redemption,  and  it  will  yet  be  filled 
with  his  glory.  The  beautiful  house  of  God  will  rise 
in  your  village,  and  its  tall  spire  will  point  to  that 
heaven  that  is  above.  The  Sabbath  bell  will  swing 
its  loud  summons  over  these  plains,  and  glad  multitudes 
will  assemble  and  worship  God.  Here  the  long  table 
will  be  spread,  in  commemoration  of  the  Savior's  dying 
love  ;  and  thousands  will  join  their  voices,  and  send  up 
hallelujahs  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain."  While  these 
and  similar  thoughts  were  expressed,  the  countenance 
of  the  young  lawyer  evinced  strong  feeling,  and  his 
eyes  were  dimmed  with  tears.  Not  long  afterwards,  I 
was  walking  slowly  in  a  small  path  near  the  outskirts 
of  the  little  town,  when  I  saw  the  young  lawyer  ap 
proaching.  It  was  evident  that  he  wished  to  speak 
with  me.  I  at  once  aiforded  him  the  opportunity. 
19 


218  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  When  I  was  in  New  Hampshire,"  said  he,  "  I  thought 
there  was  no  particular  urgency  why  I  should  attend 
to  the  subject  of  religion.  My  parents  were  both 
living.  They  were  examples  of  piety.  I  had  also 
around  me  many  other  Christian  friends,  who  were 
ever  ready  to  impart  to  me  good  counsel,  and  to 
remember  me  in  their  prayers.  I  persuaded  myself, 
therefore,  that  there  was  no  special  call  for  me,  indi 
vidually,  to  be  much  concerned  on  the  subject.  But 
it  is  far  otherwise  now.  I  see  the  broad  road  is  open 
wide  before  me.  My  parents  and  pious  friends  are 
distant  three  thousand  miles.  There  is  no  one  here  to 
watch,  to  counsel,  or  to  rebuke  me,  in  case  I  should 
go  astray.  I  feel  that  there  is  a  solemn  responsibility 
resting  on  myself.  I  must  think,  I  must  watch,  and  I 
must  care  for  myself,  or  ruin  is  before  me."  The 
statement  of  this  interesting  young  man  affected  me 
much  at  the  time ;  and  it  never  recurs  to  my  mind 
without  awaking  the  liveliest  emotion.  What  a  pre 
cious  treasure  is  granted  to  that  youth  who  has  been 
blessed  with  pious  parental  training ! 

In  this  country  I  spent  more  than  three  months, 
preaching  sometimes  in  the  towns,  and  sometimes  from 
house  to  house.  I  organized  a  church  of  twenty  mem 
bers  in  Shreveport,  and  another,  of  fourteen  members, 
in  Marshal],  Texas,  and  formed,  moreover,  many  de 
lightful  friendships  among  the  citizens.  No  person, 
unacquainted  with  the  character  of  the  population  in 
the  new  settlements  of  the  west,  would  imagine  the 
amount  of  educated  mind  which  I  found  in  the  Red 
River  country.  I  became  acquainted  with  quite  a 
number  of  men,  comparatively  young,  whose  talents 
and  acquirements  would  have  entitled  them  to  a  high 


RED    RIVER.  219 


station  in  society  in  any  part  of  the  United  States. 
The  hospitality  for  which  new  countries  are  proverbial 
was  here  in  its  full  perfection.  The  stranger  was  wel 
come  at  every  house,  and  welcome  to  stay  as  long  as 
suited  his  convenience  j  and,  more  than  all  this,  there 
was  a  strong  desire  for  the  gospel,  that  stood  out  as  a 
marked  peculiarity  of  this  population. 

A  physician  and  his  lady,  who  had  been  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Virginia,  rode  with  me 
twelve  miles  on  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  I 
preached  my  last  sermon  at  Greenwood.  As  we  drew 
near  the  house  of  worship,  the  lady  expressed  her 
gladness  and  her  gratitude  that  she  could  hear  the 
gospel  preached  so  near  to  her  home,  by  a  minister  of 
her  own  church.  And  the  physician,  her  husband, 
told  me  that  he  had  been  united  with  the  church  in 
Virginia  —  indeed,  had  been  a  ruling  elder  —  but  that 
he  had  sustained  great  spiritual  loss  by  emigrating  to 
this  destitute  region.  After  the  sermon  at  Greenwood, 
a  lady  came  to  me,  and  said,  "  I  have  a  certificate  from 
a  church  in  New  York.  If  a  Presbyterian  church  can 
be  formed  in  this  neighborhood,  I  wish  you  to  take  my 
name,  as  one  that  desires  to  unite  in  its  formation. " 
Five  gentlemen  then  came  to  me,  and  said,  "  We  do 
not  consider  ourselves  worthy  to  be  church  members  ; 
but  we  wish  to  give  you  our  names,  as  those  who 
desire  to  be  enrolled  as  members  of  a  Presbyterian 
congregation,  and  who  are  willing  to  combine,  for  the 
purpose  of  sustaining  divine  worship  in  this  com 
munity." 

These  facts  are  recorded  as  samples  of  the  state  of 
the  public  mind  in  the  Red  River  country,  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  in  the  year  1845.  I  remember 


220  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

conversing  with  but  one  person  who  professed  to  en 
tertain  any  doubts  of  the  divine  authenticity  of  the 
Bible  ;  and  he  was  not  a  scoffer,  but  professed  to  be  in 
search  of  more  light  on  the  subject.  I  preached  at 
this  man's  house,  and  was  treated  by  him  with  much 
attention  and  kindness.  Indeed,  the  entire  Red  River 
country,  on  both  the  Louisiana  and  Texas  side  of  the 
line,  seemed  a  field  "  white  to  the  gospel  harvest." 
In  this  interesting  and  promising  field,  I  met  with  the 
Right  Reverend  Bishop  Polk,  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
He  was  laboring,  with  truly  apostolic  zeal,  for  the  ad 
vancement  of  the  Christian  body  of  which  he  is  a 
member.  I  was  greatly  gratified  to  meet  the  good 
bishop  in  such  circumstances  ;  and  the  interview  made 
an  impression  on  my  mind  too  deep  to  be  passed  over 
in  silence,  in  this  sketch  of  my  excursion  through 
the  Red  River  region.  I  understood  that  a  bounti 
ful  Providence  had  bestowed  on  the  bishop  the  good 
things  of  this  world  in  great  abundance  ;  that  his 
home  abounded  in  all  that  can  render  home  desirable  ; 
yet,  instead  of  nursing  himself  up  in  the  lap  of  lux 
ury,  he  was  here  in  the  open  field,  fulfilling  the  duties 
of  a  hardy  soldier.  He  seemed  to  shrink  from  no  per 
sonal  exposure  ;  was  willing,  if  necessary,  to  subsist 
on  the  coarsest  fare ;  and  would  lodge  in  the  flat-boat 
at  the  river-side,  in  the  half-faced  camp,  or  in  the  rudest 
log  cabin,  if,  by  any  means,  he  might  find  the  lost 
sheep  that  was  wandering  and  bewildered  amidst  these 
extensive  wilds,  exposed  to  ravenous  beasts,  and  ready 
to  perish,  and  might  have  an  agency  in  leading  the 
wanderer  back  to  the  fold  of  the  great  Shepherd.  I 
looked  on  this  self-denying  bishop  of  the  Episcopal 
church  with  much  regard  and  veneration.  I  could  not 


RED    RIVER.  221 


but  "  esteem  him  very  highly  in  love  for  his  works' 
sake."  It  was,  indeed,  a  beautiful  example  of  minis 
terial  consecration,  and  the  constraining  power  of  the 
love  of  Christ.  And  when  I  saw  this  zealous  Episco 
palian  traversing  the  rough  face  of  the  wide  and  path 
less  wilderness,  in  order,  like  his  divine  Master,  "  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,"  I  felt  rebuked 
for  my  own  church  —  yes,  my  own  beloved  Presby 
terian  church.  In  that  "  long  cloud "  of  emigrant 
population,  that  now  stretches  from  the  great  lakes  of 
the  north  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and,  like  the  pillar  in 
front  of  Israel,  gradually  moves  westward,  the  Presby 
terian  church  has  many  valuable  families,  and  very 
many  valuable  members ;  but  who  of  our  prominent 
ministers  have  been  willing  to  devote  even  a  small 
portion  of  their  ministerial  life  to  the  feeding  of  these 
hungry  sheep?  Methodist  bishops  and  Episcopal 
bishops  can  see  the  importance  of  an  early  occupancy 
of  this  immense  field  ;  and  they  are  found  "  lengthen 
ing  the  cords  and  strengthening  the  stakes  "  of  their 
Zion  through  all  the  extent  of  this  mighty  territory. 
Many  thousands  of  our  people  are  dispersed  abroad 
over  this  land.  But,  I  ask  again,  what  prominent 
Presbyterian  ministers  have  been  willing  to  spend 
even  three  months  in  twenty  years,  laboring  to  plant 
branches  of  the  blessed  vine  in  this  promising  soil  ? 

In  the  summer  of  1843,  a  venerable  elder  of  our 
church  at  Richmond,  Ray  county,  Missouri,  gave  me 
the  following  statement.  I  record  it  here  because  it  is 
worthy  of  being  made  known  to  all  our  ministers. 
The  excellent  elder  has  now  departed  from  the  church 
below  ;  but  his  words  will  long  remain  imprinted  on 
my  memory. 

19* 


222  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

•'  A  large  number  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  upper 
counties  on  the  Missouri  were  either  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  or  persons  who  had  a  decided 
preference  for  that  branch  of  the  great  Christian  fam 
ily.  Indeed,  this  preference  —  or  I  should  rather  call  it 
attachment —  was  so  strong,  that,  for  a  number  of  years, 
they  could  not  brook  the  thought  of  identifying  them 
selves  with  any  other  Christian  denomination.  Our 
hope  was,  that  some  of  our  experienced  and  able  min 
isters  would  visit  our  people,  preach  to  them,  encourage 
them,  organize  churches  where  members  in  sufficient 
numbers  could  be  found,  and  cause  our  population  to 
feel  that  they  were  noticed ;  that  the  body  of  the 
church  cared  for  them ;  and  that  there  was  something 
for  them  in  prospect.  Young  men,  just  from  the  col 
lege  or  the  theological  seminary,  however  important 
and  useful  in  their  place,  were  not  exactly  what  we 
wanted  here.  We  wanted  men  of  some  age  and  ex 
perience,  who  would  know  how  to  collect  and  com 
bine  the  material  already  on  the  ground,  and  lay  the 
foundations  for  coming  ages.  This  is,  in  substance, 
what  we  desired.  We  looked,  we  waited  —  yes,  we 
waited  long  ;  but  our  ministers  did  not  come.  Those 
of  other  denominations  came,  —  the  Methodists,  the 
Campbellites,  or  Reformers,  the  Baptists,  also, — and 
began  to  occupy  important  locations  ;  but  the  Pres 
byterians  —  such  men  as  we  needed  —  were  looked 
for,  and  waited  for,  in  vain.  That  part  of  the  popula 
tion,"  continued  the  old  man,  with  a  flush  of  strong 
emotion  in  his  visage,  and  his  eyes  suffused  with  tears, 
—  "  that  part  of  the  population  who  loved  our  church, 
persevered  in  waiting.  For  twelve  or  fifteen  years, 
there  was  scarcely  the  shadow  of  wavering  in  their 


RED    RIVER.  223 


ranks  ;  and,  had  there  been  any  cheering  prospect 
ahead,  they  would  willingly  have  waited  longer.  But 
there  was  none.  The  men  that  we  needed  and  desired 
did  not  come.  Finally,  the  children  in  our  families 
began  to  approach  maturity.  They  had  known  but 
little  of  our  church,  and,  of  course,  had  but  little  of 
that  strong  attachment  of  which  I  have  spoken.  A 
young  daughter,  approaching  womanhood,  would  be 
impressed  at  a  Campbellite  meeting,  and  join  that 
body.  A  sister  would  follow  her  example.  Then, 
perhaps,  a  brother.  At  length,  the  mother  would  con 
clude  that  she  had  better  follow  her  children  ;  and,  last 
of  all,  the  father  would  be  overcome,  and  go  with  his 
entire  household  into  another  communion.  Such  is, 
substantially,  the  history  of  a  vast  number  of  valuable 
families  that  have  gone  from  our  beloved  church,  to 
return  no  more.  Ah,  had  the  Presbyterian  church,  for 
the  last  twenty-five  or  thirty  years,  kept  a  proper  num 
ber  of  her  experienced  and  effective  men  employed 
among  the  destitute  in  the  new  settlements,  those  who 
pray  for  her  prosperity  might  now  have  contemplated 
the  results  with  glad  and  grateful  hearts.  The  neglect 
of -some  such  efficient  system  for  the  benefit  of  her 
scattered  population  has  occasioned  an  immense  loss  to 
the  Presbyterian  church  —  yes,  a  loss  that  cannot  be 
retrieved  in  many  generations." 

Such  was  the  substance  of  the  worthy  elder's  state 
ment,  in  the  year  1843,  concerning  the  upper  counties 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri  River.  I  saw  its 
correctness  ;  I  felt  its  force  ;  and  deeply  did  I  sympa 
thize  with  him  in  his  regrets.  Now,  in  1845,  I  found 
in  the  Red  River  country  the  same  state  of  society,  in 
all  essential  particulars,  which  had  existed  at  an  early 


224  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

day  in  Northern  Missouri.  I  saw  that  there  was  a  rich 
harvest  there,  of  very  great  extent,  which  might  be 
gathered,  if  laborers  could  be  found  to  enter  into  that 
harvest. 

I  stood  on  the  bank  of  Red  River,  by  the  side  of  a 
dear  brother,  whose  "  heart  trembled  for  the  ark  of 
God."  Said  he,  "  We  are  glad  that  you  have  come  to 
preach  to  us,  and  that  you  have  staid  so  long.  But 
now  that  you  must  leave  us,  what  can  we  do  ?  You 
see  the  condition  of  our  country.  A  little  labor,  sea 
sonably  bestowed  on  this  field,  would  secure  great 
results.  What  shall  we  do?  Cannot  some  of  the 
middle-aged  ministers,  up  in  your  country,  be  per 
suaded  to  make  us  a  visit,  and  continue  with  us  a  few 
months  ?  There  is  scarcely  a  man,  of  any  note,  who 
has  been  preaching  fifteen  or  twenty  years  in  Missouri, 
Illinois,  Kentucky,  Ohio,  or  the  states  farther  east, 
but  would  find,  on  visiting  this  country,  many  of  his 
former  hearers  and  acquaintances.  We  have  been  so 
very  destitute,  that  a  little  preaching  would  do  us  great 
good.  We  cannot  expect  to  have  ministers  perma 
nently  settled  in  each  neighborhood,  in  a  country  so 
new  as  ours.  The  day,  we  hope,  is  coming,  when  that 
rich  blessing  will  be  enjoyed  even  here  ;  but  the  whole 
country  should  be  explored,  as  speedily  as  practicable, 
by  men  of  experience  and  judgment,  that  the  religious 
population  already  on  the  ground  may  be  embodied 
and  organized.  An  organization,  even  though  it  be 
small,  will  hold  together  and  subsist  for  years,  when 
the  same  materials,  left  in  an  unorganized  state,  would 
be  dissipated  and  scattered  to  the  four  winds." 

Said  I  to  this  friend,  "  What  is  the  extent  of  the 
country,  west  of  Red  River,  which  is  already  settled  ?  " 


RED    RIVER.  225 


"  I  would  say  that  it  is  six  hundred  miles  in  length, 
by  four  hundred  in  breadth." 

"  Well,  you  know  that  when  our  divine  Savior  sent 
out  his  disciples  to  preach,  he  sent  them  '  two  and  two.' 
The  promise  to  Israel  by  Moses  was,  that  '  one  should 
chase  a  thousand,  and  two  should  put  ten  thousand  to 
flight  ; '  that  is,  two  of  God's  Israel,  when  acting 
together,  can  do  tenfold  more  than  one  would  be  able 
to  accomplish  alone.  When  Paul  and  Barnabas,  and 
Paul  and  Silas,  went  together,  according  to  Christ's 
original  plan,  what  mighty  results  followed  that  minis 
try  !  Now,  could  the  condition  of  this  country,  and 
the  importance  of  the  present  crisis,  be  laid  before  our 
brethren  in  the  better-supplied  portions  of  our  church, 
peradventure  ten  or  twelve  ministers  might  be  found, 
who  would  be  willing  to  come  and  explore  this  broad 
land,  two  and  two,  travelling  together  according  to  the 
Savior's  plan.  Could  not  much  be  accomplished  in 
one  campaign  of  five  or  six  months,  by  ten  or  twelve 
enterprising  and  self-denying  ministers  ?  " 

The  countenance  of  my  friend  kindled  up  at  the 
suggestion.  His  eye  sparkled,  his  features  glowed 
with  ardent  anticipation,  as  he  exclaimed,  "  It  would 
be  as  '  life  from  the  dead,'  to  the  cause  of  religion 
throughout  all  this  region.  The  fact,  that  the  church 
cared  so  much  for  her  scattered  and  destitute  children, 
expressed  in  that  unequivocal  and  affectionate  form, 
would  be  of  great  importance  and  value.  The  labors 
of  such  self-denying  ambassadors  of  Christ  would 
doubtless  be  accompanied  with  the  happiest  results.  A 
good  impression  would  thus  be  made  on  the  whole 
population,  that  would  be  remembered  while  the  present 
generation  remains  alive.  An  impetus  would  be  given 


226  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK, 

to  the  cause  of  religion  in  this  land,  that  might  go 
down  to  the  end  of  time." 

Such  was  the  substance  of  my  last  conversation 
with  that  pious  friend,  as  we  stood  together  on  the  bank 
of  Red  River.  I  returned  to  the  country  up  the  Missis 
sippi.  I  brought  the  subject  of  this  great  missionary 
enterprise  before  many  of  our  ministers  and  people. 
They  saw  at  once  its  importance,  and  its  feasibility. 
But  such  an  undertaking  requires  time;  and  before 
the  suitable  men  could  be  found,  and  the  necessary 
arrangements  completed,  we  were  startled  by  the  thun 
ders  of  the  Mexican  war.  The  smoke  arose,  and  dark 
ened  all  the  land,  and  multitudes  of  armed  men  were 
called  to  muster  on  the  very  field  of  our  contemplated 
mission.  Without  interfering  at  all  with  the  political 
question  concerning  the  war,  it  was  evident  that  the 
opportunity  of  doing  a  great  work  was,  for  the  time, 
cut  off.  But  though  at  that  time  we  were  constrained 
to  a  temporary  abandonment  of  this  important  enter 
prise,  I  hope  our  church  will  yet  resume  it  under  hap 
pier  auspices.  Yes,  I  hope  that  our  church  will  wake 
up  to  that  great  enterprise — an  early  occupancy  of 
the  frontier  settlements  by  missionaries  of  talent  and 
experience.  Much,  very  much,  has  been  lost  irrecov 
erably  by  the  neglect  of  this  momentous  work  during 
the  last  thirty  years.  "  O  that  my  head  were  wa 
ters,  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might 
weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of 
my  people !  " 

Those,  only,  who  have  traversed  the  mighty  west  in 
its  length  and  in  its  breadth,  can  properly  appreciate 
the  importance  of  its  moral  culture  to  the  church,  to 
our  country,  and  to  the  world.  I  stood  on  the  bank 


RED    RIVER.  227 


of  the  Mississippi,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri 
River,  where,  after  its  long  career  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  the  wild  and  turbid  Missouri  unites  with 
the  clear  and  tranquil  wave  of  the  "  father  of  waters." 
I  was  meditating  on  the  connection  of  this  great  coun 
try  with  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  I  looked  south,  and 
thought  of  the  twelve  hundred  miles  from  the  point 
where  I  then  stood  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  I  looked 
north,  and  thought  of  the  sixteen  hundred  miles  to  the 
head  of  the  Mississippi.  I  looked  east,  and  thought  of 
the  thirteen  hundred  miles  to  the  head  of  the  Ohio 
valley.  I  looked  west,  and  thought  of  the  three  thou 
sand  miles  to  the  head  of  the  Missouri.  I  thought  of 
the  immense  capacity  of  this  land  to  sustain  human 
life.  I  thought  of  the  teeming  millions  who  will  pres 
ently  be  here.  I  seemed  almost  to  hear  the  tread  of 
coming  generations  ;  and  I  lifted  my  hand  to  heaven, 
and  said,  "  Lord  Jesus,  this  land  shall  be  thine  !  We 
will  preach  and  pray.  We  will  hold  up  the  banner  of 
thy  dying  love,  and  call  for  help  from  on  high,  till 
waves  of  redeeming  mercy  shall  roll  over  these  wide 
plains,  and  along  the  shores  of  these  mighty  rivers. 
And  among  the  multitudes  of  people  that  shall  dwell 
here,  every  knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue  confess, 
to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain." 

AN  INDIAN  TRADITION. 

That  part  of  Louisiana  which  borders  on  Texas,  in 
the  region  where  I  labored,  is  called  Caddo  Parish. 
The  name  is  taken  from  a  tribe  of  Indians  that  once 
occupied  this  country.  The  remains  of  their  villages 
are  yet  to  be  seen  in  several  neighborhoods.  This 


228  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

ancient  tribe  of  Indians,  when  first  visited  by  the 
Americans,  had  among  them  a  tradition  of  the  flood 
altogether  remarkable,  and  as  worthy  of  being  pre 
served  as  any  of  the  traditions  on  that  subject,  that 
have  been  found  amongst  the  East  Indian  Brahmins,  or 
the  inhabitants  of  Peru,  in  the  southern  part  of  our 
own  continent. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  while  president  of  the  United 
States,  about  the  year  1805,  communicated  to  congress 
the  following  report  of  certain  American  officers,  who 
had  explored  the  Red  River  country  :  — 

"  About  forty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Little  River, 
which  empties  into  Red  River  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  miles  above  its  mouth,  there  is  a  large  prairie, 
forty  miles  long.  Near  the  middle  of  the  prairie  there 
is  a  lake,  of  about  five  miles  in  circumference.  It  is 
of  an  oval  form,  and  neither  tree  nor  shrub  near  it ; 
nor  is  there  any  stream  of  water  running  either  into 
it  or  out  of  it.  This  lake  is  very  deep,  and  the  water 
so  perfectly  limpid,  that  a  fish  may  be  seen  at  the 
depth  of  fifteen  feet  from  the  surface.  By  the  side 
of  this  lake,  the  Caddo,  or  Caddoque,  tribe  of  Indians 
have  lived  from  time  immemorial.  About  one  mile 
from  the  lake  is  a  hill,  on  which,  they  say,  the  Great 
Spirit  placed  one  Caddo  family,  who  were  saved  when, 
by  a  general  deluge,  all  the  world  were  drowned ;  and 
from  that  one  family,  they  declare,  all  the  Indians  have 
originated.  To  this  little  natural  eminence,  all  the 
Indian  tribes,  for  a  great  distance,  as  well  as  the  Cad- 
doques,  pay  a  devout  and  sacred  homage." 

The  report  of  this  exploring  party  further  goes  on 
to  say.  that  "  the  whole  number  of  what  they  call 
warriors  of  the  ancient  Caddo  nation,  is  now  (that  is, 


RED    RIVER.  229 


in  1805)  reduced  to  one  hundred,  who  are  looked  upon 
somewhat  like  the  knights  of  Malta,  or  some  distin 
guished  military  order.  They  are  brave,  despise  dan 
ger  and  death,  and  boast  that  they  have  never  shed 
white  man's  blood." 
20 


230  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


THE    RED    RIVER   BUZZARD. 


WHEN  the  time  drew  nigh  that  I  had  set  for  leaving 
the  Red  River  country,  I  announced  to  the  people  of 
Shreveport  and  the  neighborhood,  that  if  they  would 
collect  their  children  at  the  court-house,  I  would  at 
tempt  to  preach  a  sermon  particularly  adapted  to  them. 
The  people  were  pleased  with  the  proposition  ;  and  on 
the  last  day  of  my  stay  among  them,  a  beautiful  com 
pany  of  children  were  brought  together,  and  I  gave 
them  the  best  instruction  I  could  for  the  life  that  now 
is,  and  also  for  that  which  is  to  come.  I  then  bade 
adieu  to  many  highly-valued  friends,  and  started  down 
the  river.  Our  progress  was  slow  j  for  the  boat  was 
taking  in  cotton,  —  forty  bales  at  one  plantation,  sixty 
at  another,  —  and  thus  we  were  some  two  or  three  days 
moving  slowly  towards  New  Orleans.  Many  of  the 
passengers  were  from  the  region  where  I  had  been 
laboring,  and  with  some  of  them  I  had  formed  a  pleas 
ant  acquaintance.  At  their  request,  I  had  preached  a 
few  sermons  in  the  cabin  of  the  steamboat  as  we  jour 
neyed.  When  we  had  made  considerable  progress 
down  the  river,  a  great,  brawny,  broad-shouldered,  six- 
feet-two  or  three  inches  high  backwoodsman  appeared 
among  the  passengers.  I  was  not  aware  at  what  point 
he  had  come  on  board.  He  looked  as  if  he  might 
have  been  brought  up  in  the  neighborhood  of  iron- 


THE    RED    RIVER    BUZZARD.  231 

works.  The  lineaments  of  a  strong  mind  were  dis 
tinctly  marked  in  his  visage,  and  his  whole  bearing 
was  that  of  a  shrewd,  forward,  self-confident  man.  It 
is  extremely  rare,  in  the  western  country,  that  you 
find  a  man  who  designedly  treats  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  with  disrespect.  I  have  travelled  long,  and 
travelled  far,  yet  have  scarcely  failed,  in  twenty  years, 
when  on  a  journey,  to  receive  courtesy  and  gentle 
manly  treatment  in  every  company,  and  from  every 
individual  with  whom  I  had  any  particular  intercourse. 
But  here  was  a  notable  exception.  The  rough,  stout 
man,  above  mentioned,  had  found  out  that  I  was  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  j  in  fact,  I  had  preached  once, 
perhaps  oftener,  on  the  boat  after  he  had  come  on 
board.  He  now  concluded  he  would  show  his  smart 
ness,  by  holding  up  to  reproach  and  ridicule  religion 
and  religious  men.  From  his  manner,  I  had  little 
doubt  that  he  had  often  before  attempted  the  same 
thing,  and,  perhaps,  with  a  considerable  degree  of 
success  and  imaginary  triumph. 

He  now,  with  an  air  of  great  complacency  and  self- 
importance,  commenced  telling  a  story  of  a  certain 
minister  of  his  acquaintance.  It  was  an  awful  story ; 
and  he  told  it  remarkably  well.  He  had,  in  fact,  a 
quantity  of  that  ready,  rough  wit,  which  enabled  him 
to  set  the  laughable  points  of  a  ludicrous  story  in  a 
very  clear  and  strong  light.  When  he  was  through  his 
statement,  the  company  looked  somewhat  blank.  Most 
of  them  felt  that  there  was  a  high  degree  of  impro 
priety  in  his  telling  such  a  story  before  the  minister 
who  had  preached  to  them  only  a  few  hours  before ; 
otherwise  they  might  have  been  prompted  to  a  hearty 
laugh.  As  it  was,  however,  some  of  them  twisted 
their  mouths  a  little,  and  all  remained  silent. 


232  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

But  the  fellow  who  had  told  the  tale  was  no  way 
abashed  at  its  cold  reception.  Determined  to  have 
some  amusement,  he  turned  round  to  me,  and,  in  a 
manner  most  impertinent  and  haughty,  said,  ''  Well, 
sir,  what  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  I  replied  with  much 
indifference,  "  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  country,  and  not 
acquainted  with  the  circumstances."  I  should  have 
taken  particular  notice  of  neither  him  nor  his  story, 
had  he  told  it  and  just  let  it  pass.  But  the  fellow  ap 
peared  by  no  means  satisfied,  and,  after  a  momentary 
pause,  he  set  in  and  told,  either  of  the  same  preacher 
or  some  other,  a  second  story,  which  was  rather  an 
improvement  on  the  first.  A  genuine  story  it  was, 
and  astonishingly  well  told  ;  for  in  this  department  he 
possessed  a  talent  equalled  by  few.  He  now  turned 
to  me  a  second  time,  and  said,  "  Well,  sir,  what  do  you 
think  of  that  ?  "  Again  I  replied,  "I  am  a  stranger 
in  the  country,  and  not  acquainted  with  the  circum 
stances."  By  this  time,  it  was  perfectly  plain  to  me 
and  to  the  other  passengers,  that  he  was  disposed  to 
show  his  smartness  at  my  expense.  So  I  resolved  to 
"  give  him  rope  ;  "  and,  perhaps,  by  the  time  he  had 
run  his  full  career,  he  might  find  that  he  had  "  waked 
up  the  wrong  passenger." 

He  now  told  a  third  story,  rising  still  in  interest, 
like  the  steps  in  a  flight  of  stairs.  The  story  was 
certainly  an  original  one,  and  the  style  in  which  it 
was  told  "  hard  to  beat."  There  was  a  young  Texas 
officer  in  the  company.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
had  been  brought  up  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mount 
Stirling,  educated  at  the  military  institution  at  West 
Point,  and  had  now  been  a  number  of  years  in  Texas, 
during  her  revolution.  This  young  officer  now  became 


THE    RED    RIVER    BUZZARD.  233 

quite  restless.  He  afterwards  told  me  that  he  was  so 
indignant,  that  he  was  on  the  verge  of  breaking  out 
on  the  fellow  in  real  Kentucky  style,  and  telling  him 
that  he  was  insolent,  ill-mannered,  and  did  not  know 
how  to  behave  himself  genteelly  in  company ;  though, 
he  said,  as  the  thing  turned  out,  he  was  very  glad  that 
he  had  restrained  his  temper,  and  held  his  peace. 

Our  orator  now  proceeded,  and  told  a  fourth  story, 
and  then  a  fifth,  which  lost  nothing  in  comparison 
with  those  which  had  gone  before,  and  fully  sustained 
his  claims  as  a  retailer  of  calumny,  and  an  "  accuser 
of  the  brethren."  When  he  had  finished  his  fifth 
story,  I  saw,  by  the  appearance  of  the  whole  company, 
that  they  were  fully  prepared  to  see  the  impertinent 
fellow  severely  chastised.  I  turned  to  Major  Jenkins, 
a  very  respectable  farmer,  who  lived  near  Shreveport, 
and  was  well  known  to  many  of  the  company,  and,  in 
a  tone  of  voice  sufficiently  loud  to  be  distinctly  heard 
by  all  in  the  cabin,  called  out,  "  Major  Jenkins !  " 
Every  eye  was  now  turned,  and  every  ear  was  atten 
tive.  "  You  were  at  Shreveport  on  the  day  that  I  made 
the  address  to  the  congregation  of  children  ?  " 

"  I  was  there,"  replied  the  major. 

"  You  remember,  then,  the  account  which  I  gave 
the  children  of  the  patriarch  Abraham  —  how  that, 
when  the  Lord  told  Abraham  that  he  was  about  to 
destroy  Sodom,  '  because  the  cry  of  Sodom  was  great, 
and  because  their  sin  was  very  grievous,'  Abraham 
stood  up  before  the  Lord,  and  interceded  for  Sodom, 
and  said  that  he  calculated  there  were  l  fifty  '  good  men 
there  ;  and  if  there  were  not  altogether  fifty,  he  thought 
there  surely  must  be  <  forty-five,'  or,  at  any  rate,  '  forty.' 
I  called  upon  the  children  to  notice  particularly  what  a 
20* 


234  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

delightful  view  is  here  given  of  the  character  of  Abra 
ham  ;  what  an  exalted  man  he  must  have  been  ;  how 
noble  and  elevated  in  principle;  how  high-minded 
and  lofty  the  frame  of  that  spirit  by  which  he  was 
animated.  Abraham  knew  that  the  great  mass  of 
these  '  men  of  Sodom  were  wicked,  and  sinners  before 
the  Lord  exceedingly.'  He  must  have  known  this  ; 
for  he  lived  near  them,  and  must  necessarily  have  had 
transactions  with  them,  more  or  less,  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  could  not  but  have  known  that  the  multi 
tude  there  was  very  depraved,  and  far  gone  in  wicked 
ness.  But  Abraham  was  one  of  those  men  of  superior 
mould,  who  'rejoice  not  in  iniquity.'  He  neither 
sought  nor  wished  to  know  all  that  was  improper,  and 
all  that  was  censurable,  in  the  conduct  of  those  around 
him.  He  would  throw  the  broad,  generous  mantle  of 
his  charity  over  the  imperfections  and  faults  of  others, 
and  hope  for  the  best.  He  would  hope  that  there  was 
an  under-current  in  society,  better  than  what  appeared 
on  the  surface  ;  that  there  were  many  others,  who,  as 
deeply  as  himself,  regretted  the  degeneracy  of  the 
times  ;  and  he  drew  near  before  the  Lord,  in  behalf  of 
Sodom,  and  said,  '  Peradventure  there  be  fifty  right 
eous  found  there,  within  the  city,  wilt  thou  not  spare 
all  the  place  for  the  sake  of  the  fifty  righteous  that  are 
therein  ?  ' 

"  Venerable  patriarch  !  through  the  long  vista  of  four 
thousand  years,  we  love  to  look  back  and  dwell  upon 
thy  character.  It  is  an  instructive  and  beautiful  exam 
ple  in  the  annals  of  a  dark  and  fallen  world ;  and  a 
benevolent  God  has  spread  the  record  on  the  pages  of 
his  sacred  book,  and  has  determined  that  it  shall  stand 
there  till  the  end  of  time,  for  the  edification,  the  wonder 


THE    RED    RIVER    BUZZARD.  235 

and  the  imitation  of  the  sons  of  men.  It  reminds 
us  of  that  sweet  paragraph  in  the  history  of  Israel, 
where,  after  toiling  over  the  burning  sands,  exposed  to 
the  hot  winds  of  the  desert,  and  the  scorching  rays  of 
a  torrid  sun,  parched  with  thirst,  weary  and  exhausted, 
they  at  length  came  to  i  Elim,  where  there  were  twelve 
wells  of  water,  and  threescore  and  ten  palm-trees ;  and 
they  encamped  there  by  the  waters.'  (Ex.  xv.  27.) 

"  It  must  be  confessed,  however,  that  in  our  world 
there  are  characters  widely  different  from  that  of  Abra 
ham  ;  persons  who  rejoice  in  iniquity,  *  every  imagina- 
^'on  of  the  thoughts  of  whose  heart  is  only  evil  contin- 
ally  ; '  persons  whose  supreme  delight  is  to  rake  and 
root  among  the  sewers  and  filth  of  a  city  like  Sodom. 
Had  the  doom  of  this  city  been  announced  to  one  of 
these,  he  would  have  exclaimed  eagerly,  '  Ha  !  burn  up 
Sodom  with  a  tempest  of  fire  and  brimstone  !  I'm  glad 
of  it.  They  richly  deserve  it.  That's  just  what  I've 
been  looking  for.  I've  been  watching  these  people  of 
Sodom.  I  know  them  well.  There  isn't  an  honest 
man,  there  isn't  a  virtuous  woman,  in  all  the  city. 
The  merchants  are  all  roguish,  the  mechanics  are  all 
cheats,  the  professional  men  are  all  false  and  aban 
doned.  I'm  glad  to  hear  that  they  are  about  to  get 
their  deserts  at  last.'  Such  would  have  been  the 
sentiments  and  exclamations  of  a  low,  depraved,  dirty 
spirit.  Not  so  Abraham.  He  was  far  from  pretending 
that  all  excellence  in  the  whole  country  was  summed 
up  in  his  individual  person.  He  would  hope  that  even 
in  Sodom  there  were  fifty  righteous ;  and  if  not  fifty, 
why,  certainly  forty-five,  or,  at  any  rate,  forty. 

"  I  mentioned  to  the  children  what  an  excellent 
member  of  the  community  Abraham  must  have  been 


THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

—  what  a  pleasant  and  valuable  neighbor;  and  told 
them  how  I  should  love  to  live  beside  such  a  man, 
exchange  visits  with  him,  and  have  his  intimacy  and 
his  friendship.  And  I  illustrated  the  whole  subject  to 
the  children  in  this  way  :  — 

"  '  You  may  send  a  dove  over  a  beautiful  landscape, 
where  there  are  rich  waving  meadows,  and  extended 
fields  of  ripening  grain  ;  lovely  flowers  unfolding  on 
the  margin  of  the  bright,  lively  stream,  that  is  rippling, 
bubbling,  and  murmuring  along ;  flocks  and  herds 
feeding,  thriving,  and  growing ;  lambs  frisking,  skip 
ping,  and  playing  ;  and  where  there  are  all  those  things 
that  are  charming  in  a  beautiful  landscape.  Now,  the 
dove,  its  taste  is  so  refined  and  delicate,  will  be  delight 
ed  with  the  beauties  that  are  here  in  these  cultivated 
and  fruitful  fields.  Every  thing  here  is  in  perfect  har 
mony  with  its  prevailing  desires,  and  its  capacities  for  the 
highest  enjoyment ;  and  the  genius  of  the  dove  revels 
and  luxuriates  amidst  the  congenial  scenes  by  which 
it  is  surrounded.  It  will  cast  its  eye  over  the  broad 
meadow,  undulating  in  the  breeze,  and  experience  de 
lightful  emotions.  It  will  gaze  on  the  rich  grain  field, 
and  be  extremely  happy  in  the  prospect  of  such  abun 
dance  for  the  wants  of  man  and  beast.  It  will  hover 
over  the  newly-opened  flower,  and  admire  each  lovely 
tint  that  is  there.  It  will  rejoice  with  the  flocks  and 
herds  that  are  feeding  and  thriving  on  the  plain,  and 
sympathize  with  the  sportive  and  joyous  lambs  that 
are  leaping  and  gambolling  in  the  gladness  of  their 
heart. 

"  l  And  when  the  dove  returns  to  its  home,  if  it  could 
talk  and  tell  of  its  travels,  and  of  the  interesting  and 
memorable  things  which  had  fallen  under  its  eye,  it 


THE    RED    RIVER    BUZZARD.  237 

would  speak  of  the  broad  meadows,  the  bright  flowers, 
the  beautiful  streams,  and  the  fruitful  fields  it  had  found 
in  its  delightful  excursion.  It  would  describe  the  frisk 
ing  lambs,  arid  the  fine  cattle,  that  almost  equalled  the 
first  company  that  old  Pharaoh  saw  in  his  dream,  coming 
up  from  the  river  of  Egypt,  denoting  the  seven  years 
of  plenty  that  should  come  on  all  the  land.  These 
are  the  objects  that  are  in  perfect  unison  with  the  deli 
cate  and  refined  taste  of  the  dove,  and  these  are  the 
favorite  themes  on  which  it  will  delight  to  expatiate. 

"  l  But  now,  children,  suppose  you  send  a  buzzard 
over  that  same  lovely  landscape  ;  none  of  the  things 
which  I  have  named  will  interest  him  in  the  slightest 
degree.  The  buzzard  goes  to  search  for  carrion.  He 
has  no  taste  for  the  beauties  of  nature.  Carrion  alone 
suits  his  appetite  j  and  as  soon  as  he  starts,  he  begins 
to  snuff  and  scent  for  tainted  air.  The  beautiful 
meadows,  waving  in  the  breeze,  have  no  charms  for 
him.  The  rich  grain  field,  where  the  golden  harvest 
is  ripening,  he  regards  not.  The  fine  flowers,  bending 
over  the  bright,  meandering  stream,  he  sees  not.  The 
flocks  and  herds,  and  playful  lambs,  rejoicing  in  their 
green  pastures,  give  him  no  delight.  But  if  there  be 
a  dead  pig,  or  a  dead  'possum,  or  the  putrid  carcass  of 
a  rat,  in  all  the  wide  range  over  which  he  has  passed, 
the  buzzard  has  found  that  out.  That  corresponds 
with  his  taste,  and  the  developments  of  his  genius 
are  all  in  that  line.  And  he  will  light  down  where  he 
can  find  carrion,  and  spread  his  wings,  and  strut  and 
parade  round,  and  rejoice  more  over  the  half-rotten 
carcass  of  a  dead  calf,  than  over  ninety  and  nine  living 
cattle,  feeding  and  thriving  in  a  meadow.'  " 

At  this  point,  the  company  in  the  cabin  of  the  steam- 


238  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

boat  broke  out  in  unrestrained  and  boisterous  expres 
sions  of  approbation.  They  clapped,  they  stamped, 
they  cheered,  and  gave  the  most  decided  demonstra 
tions  of  entertainment  and  delight.  The  young  Texas 
officer  shouted  aloud,  "It  is  the  best  thing  I  have  heard 
in  all  my  life  !  "  And  when  through  with  one  volley 
of  clapping  and  cheering,  he  and  the  company  would 
set  off  again  on  a  fresh  score,  and  seemed  wholly  un 
willing  to  cease  their  boisterous  expressions  of  appro 
bation  and  mirth. 

It  has  often  been  said,  that  he  who  excels  at  giving 
a  joke,  or  jest  on  another,  is  not  apt  to  excel  in  bearing 
one  that  is  pointed  against  himself.  The  reason  is 
plain.  That  very  shrewdness,  which  enables  him  to 
say  severe  and  biting  things  against  another,  enables 
him  to  see  the  point  or  edge  of  any  severe  remark  that 
is  aimed  at  him.  A  dull  man  can  bear  a  jest  like  a 
philosopher.  He  does  not  see  the  point  of  the  wit, 
and,  of  course,  does  not  feel  it.  It  is  whipping  a  sheep 
on  its  wool.  But  not  so  with  the  wit  himself.  He 
sees  all  the  point  of  a  severe  remark  aimed  at  himself, 
and  feels  "it,  too.  This  was  clearly  exemplified  in  the 
rough,  rude  man  who  had  brought  on  this  discussion. 
Not  a  man  in  all  the  company  saw  the  whole  applica 
tion  of  the  above  remarks  more  clearly  than  did  he 
himself.  He  had  been  altogether  engrossed  with  the 
story  of  Abraham,  and  of  the  dove.  Eyes,  ears,  and 
mouth  were  attentive.  He  seemed  to  suspect  nothing. 
He  neither  saw  nor  "  smelt  danger,"  till  the  buzzard 
was  on  him,  flapping  its  wings  about  his  head  and  ears. 
He  sprang  to  his  feet,  stretched  himself,  and  gaped.  — 
one  of  the  most  awkward  gapes  I  have  ever  seen,  — 
and  looked  as  if  he  was  in  an  agony  of  effort  to  think 


THE    RED    RIVER    BUZZARD.  239 

of  something  to  say,  that  might  relieve  him.  Gladly 
would  he  have  kindled  up  into  fierce  anger,  in  self- 
defence  ;  but,  then,  not  a  word  had  been  said  to  him. 
My  remarks  were  all  directed  to  Major  Jenkins,  and 
contained  merely  a  rehearsal  of  what  had  been  ad 
dressed  to  the  children  at  Shreveport.  The  crest-fallen 
calumniator  walked  out  from  the  cabin  to  the  boiler- 
deck,  "  heavy  and  displeased,"  though  totally  at  loss 
in  what  direction,  or  on  whom,  to  vent  his  bile.  He 
was  followed  by  a  number  of  young  men,  still  laugh 
ing  in  full  volley,  and  exclaiming,  "O  that  buzzard! 
O  that  buzzard  ! "  At  the  first  wood-yard  that  pre 
sented  itself,  our  hero  left  the  company,  and  went 
ashore ;  and  if  he  be  capable  of  profiting  by  the  les 
sons  of  that  excellent  teacher,  Experience,  he  will  most 
likely,  hereafter,  when  he  enters  the  cabin  of  a  steam 
boat,  "  count  the  cost,"  before  he  attempts  to  play  off 
his  rude  jests  on  any  of  the  passengers. 


240  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


SUDDEN    CONVERSIONS. 


IN  the  autumn  of  1840,  I  concluded  to  visit  the  min 
eral  region  in  Wisconsin.  I  had  understood  that  a  tide 
of  population  was  pouring  into  that  country;  and  I 
resolved  to  spend  a  few  months  in  laboring  there.  Per- 
adventure  some  Christian  might  be  comforted,  whose 
lot  had  been  cast  in  a  destitute  neighborhood  ;  perad- 
venture  some  sinner  might  be  converted  to  God,  over 
whom  the  angels  of  heaven  would  rejoice ;  peradven- 
ture  some  little  church  might  be  planted,  on  which  the 
early  and  the  latter  rain  might  descend,  until  it  would 
grow,  and  become  strong,  and  eventually  prove  a  bless 
ing  to  hundreds — perhaps,  even,  to  thousands  —  of 
immortal  souls.  There  is  something  very  delightful,  to 
my  mind,  in  establishing  a  new  church  in  the  heart  of 
a  great,  rising  country.  When  you  plant  the  acorn  in 
the  rich  western  soil,  you  cannot  tell  how  deep  that 
plant  may  strike  its  roots  into  the  earth.  You  cannot 
tell  how  high  its  stem  will  shoot  up  towards  heaven. 
You  cannot  tell  how  wide  its  branches  will  spread, 
how  great  will  be  the  abundance  of  its  fruit,  or  how 
many  living  creatures,  in  ages  to  come,  will  feed  upon 
its  fruit,  and  find  shelter  under  its  shadow.  I  had  no 
connection  with  the  Home  Missionary  Society.  I  went 
under  the  authority  of  that  primitive  commission,  "  Go 
ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 


SUDDEN    CONVERSIONS.  241 

creature.  He  that  believeth,  and  is  baptized,  shall  be 
saved."  (Mark  xvi.  15,  16.)  I  had  then  no  expecta 
tion  of  publishing  an  account  of  these  labors.  They 
were  known  to  God,  and  to  the  community  where  they 
were  bestowed.  I  desired  for  them  no  further  noto 
riety.  Nor  should  even  a  sketch  of  them  be  published 
now,  but  that  I  see,  that,  by  doing  so,  I  can  illustrate 
great  principles,  and  place  important  truths  before  the 
church,  and  before  the  world. 

I  took  passage  in  a  steamboat,  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  Miller,  and  ascended  the  Mississippi,  to  a  point 
some  ten  or  twelve  miles  above  the  town  of  Dubuque, 
in  Iowa.  I  there  went  ashore,  on  the  Wisconsin  side 
of  the  river.  There  was  no  village,  no  farm,  no  im 
provement  of  any  kind  at  the  landing.  A  dim  path 
put  off  from  the  river,  across  the  wide  Mississippi  bot 
tom.  I  took  that  path,  and  followed  it  through  the  tall 
cotton-wood  timber,  some  six  or  eight  miles.  There  I 
found  a  small  village,  stretched  along  a  narrow  ravine, 
that  came  down  through  the  bluffs  of  the  highlands. 
The  name  of  the  location  was  "  Snake  Hollow  ;  "  and 
the  village  was  called  by  that  name  far  and  near.  I 
learned  that  a  miner,  at  an  early  day,  while  searching 
for  mineral,  had  dug  into  a  den  of  rattlesnakes  ;  and 
that  circumstance  had  given  a  name  to  the  place,  and 
afterwards  to  the  village.  I  took  up  my  residence, 
pro  tempore,  with  a  Jew,  who  was  there  selling  goods, 
a  very  gentlemanly  and  hospitable  man,  who  kindly 
invited  me  to  make  his  house  my  home.  And  I  com 
menced  preaching  to  these  people.  We  were  greatly 
incommoded  by  the  want  of  a  suitable  house.  The 
small  room  in  which  our  meetings  were  held,  would 
not  contain  one  half  the  people  who  were  desirous 
21 


242  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

to  attend ;  and,  after  spending  a  few  days  in  this 
place,  I  went  to  Plattville,  a  village  about  twelve  miles 
distant,  where  the  opportunity  of  a  house  for  preach 
ing  was  better.  But  scarcely  had  I  reached  Plattville, 
when  Mr.  Gay,  a  prominent  man  in  the  other  neighbor 
hood,  came  after  me  in  behalf  of  the  people  of  Snake 
Hollow.  "  You  must  return,"  said  he,  —  "  you  must 
return  with  me.  I  believe  that  God  has  begun  a  good 
work  among  our  people."  I  determined,  at  once,  to 
go  with  this  man ;  and  soon  after  we  had  returned,  a 
Kentuckian,  who  resided  there,  came  to  me,  arid  said, 
"  You  need  a  larger  house  for  your  meetings." 

"  We  do,  sir,  very  much,"  was  my  reply. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "I  have  a  house,  that  was  fitted 
up  for  some  play-actors,  that  were  here  not  long  ago. 
If  you  will  go  with  me,  and  look  at  it,  it  shall  be  at 
your  service,  provided  you  think  it  suitable." 

I  went  with  him,  and  lo,  a  room,  about  forty-two 
feet  in  length,  by  some  thirty  feet  in  breadth,  well 
prepared  to  accommodate  an  audience !  Some  part 
of  the  fabric  erected  by  the  play-actors  was  still  stand 
ing  ;  but  we  soon  had  that  removed,  and  commenced 
our  meetings  ;  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  in  the 
midst  of  us,  of  a  truth.  In  this  place  I  preached  three 
times  a  day,  for  about  five  weeks.  Persons  came  in 
from  all  the  country  round,  and  many  consecrated 
themselves  to  the  Lord.  A  church  was  organized,  and 
members  added  to  it  to  the  number  of  forty-four. 
Soon  after  our  series  of  efforts  commenced,  I  appointed 
an  inquiry  meeting,  to  be  held  early  in  the  morning. 
The  first  person  who  appeared  at  the  place  for  that 
meeting,  was  a  young  merchant.  I  must  sketch  a 
little  of  his  history,  because  it  illustrates  the  subject 
of  "  sudden  conversions." 


SUDDEN    CONVERSIONS.  243 

He  carne  into  the  inquiry  room,  and  told  me,  very 
frankly,  that  he  had  been  living  in  sin,  and  that  un 
merited  grace  alone  had  held  him  up  from  a  deserved 
hell.  Said  I,  "  Are  you  now  willing  to  turn  from  sin, 
and  consecrate  your  heart  and  life  to  the  service  of 
God  ?  Are  you  now  willing  to  trust  in  Christ  for 
pardon  and  eternal  life,  and  spend  your  days  in  keeping 
his  commandments  ? " 

"  That  is  my  determination,"  said  he.  "  Relying 
on  the  grace  of  God  for  assistance,  I  wish  to  confess 
Christ  before  the  world,  and  to  unite  myself  with  his 
church,  that  I  may  honor  and  obey  him  in  all  his 
ordinances." 

"  How  long  have  you  resided  in  Wisconsin  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  here  about  eighteen  months." 

"  From  what  place  did  you  emigrate,  when  you  came 
here  ? » 

"  I  had  been,  for  very  nearly  two  years,  with  the 
American  Fur  Company,  among  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

"  And  where  were  you  before  you  joined  the  Ameri 
can  Fur  Company  ?  " 

"  I  had  spent  four  years  in  Texas,  during  the  period 
of  her  revolution." 

"  But  where  were  you  brought  up  ?  " 

"  I  was  brought  up  at  Brownsville,  in  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  National  Road." 

"  Were  your  parents  pious  people  ?  " 

"  O,  sir,  I  had  at  Brownsville  a  Christian  mother, 
who  taught  me  the  Savior's  name  when  I  was  very 
young.  She  prayed  with  me,  and  for  me,  and  taught 
me  to  fold  my  little  hands,  and  say,  l  Our  Father,  who 
art  in  heaven  ! '  And  as  long  as  I  remained  with  her, 
she  endeavored,  by  her  counsel,  her  example,  and  her 


244  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

prayers,  to  win  me  over  to  the  service  of  God.  And 
O,  sir,"  exclaimed  this  young  man,  weeping  profusely 
—  "  O,  sir,  the  prayers,  the  example,  the  counsel,  the 
warm  solicitude  of  that  pious  mother  have  followed 
me  all  the  while  I  was  roving  through  Texas  —  have 
followed  me  all  the  while  I  was  wandering  up  and 
down  among  the  Rocky  Mountains  —  yes,  and  they 
have  followed  me  here  to  Wisconsin.  I  can  resist  no 
longer.  I  must  obey  the  call  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
give  my  life  to  God." 

This  is  a  sample  —  a  fair  sample  —  of  what  the 
world,  and,  alas  f  a  portion  of  the  church,  denomi 
nate  "  sudden  conversions."  A  cold-hearted  professor, 
dozing  and  dreaming  over  his  privileges  and  his  oppor 
tunities,  sees  his  neighbor  living  in  sin,  but  has  not  got 
religion  enough  to  speak  one  warning  word  to  the  sin 
ner  of  his  guilt  and  his  danger.  And  he  takes  it  for 
granted,  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  the  man's  conscience, 
are  as  silent,  concerning  the  things  of  eternity,  as  his 
own  unfaithful  tongue  ;  whereas  the  light  of  the  gos 
pel,  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  voice  of  con 
science  are  causing  a  mighty  struggle  in  the  bosom  of 
that  man.  This  struggle  continues  for  months  —  per 
haps  for  years.  At  last,  the  troubled  sinner  resolves, 
"  I'll  resist  no  longer.  I'll  yield  to  the  Spirit  of  God. 

4  Here,  Lord,  I  give  myself  away  — 
'Tis  all  that  I  can  do.'  " 

And  the  torpid  professor  near  him  hears  this  vow, 
and  starts  up,  rubbing  his  eyes,  and  exclaiming,  "  How 
sudden!  How  very  sudden!  "  when  the  only  sudden 
thing  in  the  whole  affair,  is  the  sudden  impression  in 
his  own  sleepy  soul. 


SUDDEN    CONVERSIONS.  245 

I  said  the  case  of  the  young  man  detailed  above  is  a 
fair  sample  of  what  the  world  calls  "  sudden  conver 
sions."  I  repeat  the  assertion,  from  a  deep  conviction 
of  its  truth,  and  the  importance  of  having  the  subject 
properly  understood. 

I  would  here,  also,  record  another  instance  of  "  sud 
den  conversion,"  which  took  place  during  the  same 
series  of  meetings  ;  and  I  desire  to  mention  it  with 
gratitude  and  praise  to  the  name  of  the  blessed  God. 
After  the  Divine  Spirit  was  poured  out  on  the  popula 
tion  of  this  village  and  the  neighborhood,  a  general 
reformation  in  morals  was  diffused  in  all  directions 
among  the  citizens ;  and,  finally,  the  "  sign-board " 
was  taken  down  from  above  the  door  of  the  last  grog 
shop  in  the  place. 

There  lived  in  that  community  a  man  quite  advanced 
in  life,  who  had  been  intemperate  for  many  years.  This 
man  came  to  hear  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  He 
appeared  deeply  affected  with  divine  truth  ;  and  pres 
ently  he  opened  his  house  for  the  weekly  prayer  meet 
ing,  which  was  now  established.  He  was  soon  enabled 
to  trust  in  Christ  for  salvation.  In  a  little  time,  accord 
ing  to  the  example  of  the  apostolic  age,  he  offered 
himself  to  the  church ;  and  the  evidences  of  his  con 
version  to  God  were  such,  that  he  was  accepted. 
From  time  to  time,  after  I  left  the  neighborhood,  I  had 
opportunity  to  learn  that  the  old  man  was  walking 
worthy  of  the  high  and  holy  gospel  vocation,  and  that 
his  house  was  still  opened  for  the  weekly  prayer  meet 
ing.  About  six  years  afterwards,  I  was  at  Edwards- 
ville,  in  Illinois.  I  there  became  acquainted  with  a 
respectable  lawyer,  who,  at  that  time,  was  a  senator  in 
the  legislature  of  that  state.  "  I  am  happy  to  meet 
21* 


246  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

with  you,"  said  he.  "I  have  long  wished  for  an 
opportunity  to  make  your  acquaintance.  1  wish  to 
express  my  gratitude  for  the  great  benefit  which  my 
father  received  during  your  ministerial  labors  at  l  Snake 
Hollow.' '  And  lo  !  the  senator  before  me  was  the  son 
of  the  old  gentleman  whose  house  was  opened  for  the 
weekly  prayer  meeting,  and  of  whose  conversion  the 
reader  is  already  informed. 

Many  years  ago,  there  lived  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee, 
a  prominent  and  amiable  man,  who  was  by  profession 
a  lawyer.  His  treatment  of  religious  men  was  respect 
ful  and  kind.  At  the  house  of  worship  he  was  a  regu 
lar  attendant ;  but  he  had  taken  for  himself  no  decided 
stand  in  relation  to  the  service  of  God.  His  wife,  at 
length,  came  forward,  and  united  herself  to  the  church. 
After  the  solemnities  of  the  sacramental  season  at 
which  she  was  received,  a  brother  in  the  ministry 
walked  home  with  the  family  to  their  house.  When 
they  were  near  the  door,  the  lawyer  turned  to  the 
minister,  and  said,  "  I  know  that  religion  is  very  im 
portant.  It  is  every  man's  duty  to  serve  God.  But  it 
is  a  very  solemn  matter  ;  and  surely  we  ought  not  to 
be  hasty." 

"  How  old  are  you  ?  "  asked  the  minister. 

"  I  am  forty-one,"  was  the  reply.  And  the  tear 
started  in  his  eye  as  he  spoke. 

"  Then  you  have  not  been  hasty.  Surely,  if  you 
have  persisted  in  sinning  against  God  through  forty- 
one  years,  you  have  not  been  hasty  in  renouncing 
your  rebellion.  If  you  have  jeopardized  your  soul  for 
forty-one  years,  you  have  not  been  hasty  in  caring  for 
its  welfare.  If  you  have  been  rushing  towards  the 
gate  of  death  for  forty-one  years,  you  have  not  been 
hasty  in  flying  from  the  wrath  to  come." 


SUDDEN    CONVERSIONS.  247 

I  now  close  this  article  with  two  remarks  :  — 

1.  We  are  liable  to  much  mistake,  when  we  suppose 
that  the  subject  of  religion  is  new  to  those  to  whom 
we  have  said  but  little.     God  has  many  methods  for 
diffusing  abroad  the  knowledge  of  his  will,  independ 
ent  of  our  agency.     The  voice  of  his  word,  the  voice 
of  his  Spirit,  and  the  voice  of  conscience  have  been 
heard  far  and  wide.     "  I  say,  Have  they  not  heard  ? 
Yes,  verily,  their  sound  went  into  all  the  earth,  and 
their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world."     (Rom.  x.  18.) 
I  have  rarely,  in  a  ministry  of  thirty-four  years,  at 
tempted  to  talk  with  an  inquirer,  but  I  found  that  the 
Spirit   of   God,  and  a  faithful  conscience,   had   been 
speaking  to  that  soul  long  before  it  was  addressed  by 
me.     God  is  doing  a  great  and  solemn  work,  while  he 
is  leading  immortal   souls  to  eternity.      And   O,  how 
small  a  portion  of  his  ways  do  we  comprehend  !     Let 
us,  therefore,  put  a  restraint  upon  our  tongues,  when 
tempted  to  speak  lightly  of  "  sudden  conversions." 

2.  Most,  if  not  all,  of  the   conversions  recorded  in 
the  Bible  are  of  the  description  which  the  world  would 
now  pronounce  "  sudden."     See  the  case  of  Abraham. 
"  Now,  the  Lord  had  said  unto  Abrarn,  Get  thee  out 
of  thy  country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy 
father's  house,  unto  a  land  that  I  will  show  thee  :  and 
I  will  make   of  thee   a  great  nation,  and  I  will  bless 
thee,  and  make  thy  name  great ;  and  thou  shalt   be  a 
blessing  :  and  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and 
curse  him  that  curseth  thee  :  and  in  thee  shall  all  fam 
ilies  of  the  earth  be  blessed.     So  Abram  departed,  as 
the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  him."     See  the  conversion 
of  Naaman  the  Syrian.     (2  Kings  v.   15 — 19.)     See 
the  conversion   of   the  men   of   Nineveh,  under   the 


THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

preaching  of  Jonah.  And  yet  Christ  declares  that 
their  religion  will  stand  the  scrutiny  of  the  judg 
ment  day.  See  the  conversion  of  James  and  John, 
Simon  and  Andrew.  "  And  Jesus,  walking  by  the 
sea  of  Galilee,  saw  two  brethren,  Simon  called  Peter, 
and  Andrew  his  brother,  casting  a  net  into  the  sea; 
for  they  were  fishers.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Follow 
me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men.  And  they 
straightway  left  their  nets,  and  followed  him.  Arid 
going  on  from  thence,  he  saw  other  two  brethren, 
James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother,  in  a 
ship  with  Zebedee  their  father,  mending  their  nets : 
and  he  called  them.  And  they  immediately  left  the 
ship  and  their  father,  and  followed  him."  (Matt, 
iv.  18 — 22.)  See  also  the  thousands  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost. 

When  I  think  of  the  rich  and  varied  opportunities 
which  God  has  granted  to  the  present  generation,  I 
must  believe  that  there  are  many  important  and  perma 
nent  religious  impressions  among  that  part  of  the  com 
munity  who  have  as  yet  given  no  public  manifestation. 
How  many  Bibles  have  been  thrown  before  the  eye  of 
the  educated  and  intelligent  neglecter  of  the  great  salva 
tion  !  How  many  religious  tracts  !  How  much  whole 
some  religious  instruction  has  been  imparted  in  Sabbath 
schools  !  In  these  respects,  the  last  twenty  years  have 
surpassed  all  the  years  that  have  ever  gone  before  them. 
And,  moreover,  how  great  has  been  the  amount  of 
sound,  instructive,  and  poAverful  preaching,  which  God 
has  granted  to  the  souls  of  men  within  the  same  period ! 
I  speak  not  now  of  any  one  section  of  our  country, 
exclusively.  I  speak  of  the  whole,  —  east,  west, 
north,  and  south.  With  how  much  enlightened,  dis- 


SUDDEN    CONVERSIONS.  249 

criminating,  and  scriptural  preaching  has  the  present 
generation  been  blessed  !  I  fully  believe  that,  in  this 
respect,  few  among  the  ages  that  are  passed  have  been 
raised  so  high  in  point  of  privileges.  We  may  fairly 
infer,  therefore,  that  much  thoughtfulness  and  valuable 
impression  have  been  produced,  that  have  not  yet  ap 
peared  on  the  surface  of  society  ;  and  that  when,  "  after 
so  long  a  time,"  men  come  to  the  determination,  that 
they  must  and  will  confess  Christ  in  the  church,  we 
greatly  err,  if  we  suppose  that  religion  is  a  new  theme 
of  thought  to  them,  or  that,  in  their  pious  resolves,  there 
is  any  thing  "  sudden,"  in  such  a  sense  as  implies  a 
want  of  serious  consideration,  or  the  absence  of  a  thor 
ough  acquaintance  with  the  solemnity  and  sacredness 
of  the  Christian  profession. 

Now,  at  the  opening  of  the  year  1850,  I  cast  my 
eye  over  our  highly-favored  land.  It  is  a  mighty  field, 
where  the  fallow  ground  has  been  broken  up,  the  clods 
have  been  pulverized,  and  the  good  seed  put  in,  and 
covered  with  earth.  Why  should  we  not  expect  an 
abundant  harvest  ?  God  has  wonderfully  taken  hurtful 
influences  out  of  the  way.  The  thunders  of  war  are 
hushed.  The  din  of  political  strife  has  died  away. 
The  ravages  of  cholera  are,  at  least  for  a  time,  arrested. 
We  wait  only  for  the  showers  of  divine  grace  to  make 
the  plants  in  the  garden  of  God  spring  up,  and  produce 
fruit  in  rich  abundance,  beyond  all  that  "  kings  and 
prophets  "  ever  saw.  No  such  extensive  preparations 
preceded  the  revivals  under  John  Knox  and  his  fellow- 
laborers,  when,  in  a  single  generation,  a  nation  was 
born  to  God.  No  such  extensive  preparation  preceded 
the  "  great  awakening  "  under  Edwards  and  the  Ten- 
nants.  Why,  then,  should  not  the  church,  at  this  day, 


THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  expect  great  things,"  and  "  attempt  great  things  "  ? 
Why  not  hope  for  the  return  of  sinners  to  the  ark  of 
safety  in  such  multitudes,  that  the  prophet,  in  vision 
beholding  it  at  the  distance  of  many  centuries,  was 
constrained  to  exclaim,  "  Who  are  these  that  fly  as  a 
cloud,  and  as  doves  to  their  windows  ?  " 


GROWTH    IN    KNOWLEDGE.  251 


GROWTH    IN    KNOWLEDGE. 


THE  Holy  Spirit  hath  said,  "  The  path  of  the  just  is 
as  the  shining  light,  that  shineth  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day."  Absolute  perfection  is  not  possessed 
by  the^newly-converted  soul,  and  hence  the  command 
to  "  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  There  is  a  growth  in  knowledge,  as 
well  as  in  grace,  enjoined  on  the  believer.  Inattention 
to  this  fact  has  often  occasioned  erroneous  sentiments 
among  pious  people.  This  life  is  but  our  birthday. 
Saints  will  grow  in  acquaintance  with  God  and  things 
divine  through  all  eternity.  And  yet  how  prone  are 
we,  in  the  very  commencement  of  our  religious  course, 
to  fancy  ourselves  fully  qualified  to  pronounce  without 
hesitation  on  the  most  high  and  solemn  questions  that 
relate  to  the  things  of  God  !  Many  a  Christian  has 
been  kept  in  darkness  for  years,  by  reason  of  some 
hasty  decision  concerning  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel, 
rashly  made  in  the  very  infancy  of  his  Christianity. 
O  that  all  Christians,  and  especially  the  young,  would 
treasure  up  in  their  minds  that  precious  counsel  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  "  Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thine  heart, 
and  lean  not  to  thine  own  understanding  "  !  God  has 
given  us  a  "  sure  word  of  prophecy  "  for  our  direction, 
to  which  we  do  well  to  "  take  heed,  as  unto  a  light 
that  shineth  in  a  dark  place."  But  O,  what  mournful 


252  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

inroads  has  error  made  in  the  church,  when  the  pro 
fessed  friends  of  the  Redeemer  have  not  followed  the 
light  of  God's  word,  but  have  "  leaned  to  their  own 
understanding  "  ! 

In  a  clear  night,  when  the  multitude  of  stars  that 
are  scattered  over  the  heavens,  apparently  without  any 
regularity  or  order,  are  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  should 
you  tell  the  man  who  is  utterly  unacquainted  with  the 
science  of  astronomy,  that  these  luminous  specks  are 
worlds,  many  of  them  larger  than  the  globe  on  which 
he  stands,  and  that  they  are  all  moving  with  admirable 
harmony,  according  to  the  plan  of  their  Author,  he 
would  think  your  statement  altogether  incredible  ;  for 
he  sees  nothing  like  order  or  harmony  in  all  that  strikes 
his  eye.  In  like  manner,  the  man  who  leans  to  his 
own  understanding,  and  is  not  sufficiently  attentive  to 
the  voice  of  God,  when  he  looks  around  him  on  the 
multitude  of  events  which  daily  occur,  and  sees  in 
them  much  that  to  his  eye  is  confusion  and  disorder, 
he  feels  confident  that  those  who  maintain  that  God  is 
"  working  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will," 
are  grossly  mistaken.  He  fancies  that  he  sees  con 
clusive  proof  that  Satan  and  wicked  men  are  driving 
the  world  before  them,  and  that  the  counsel  of  God 
does  not  prevail.  Your  assertion  of  the  regular  move 
ments  and  harmonious  revolutions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies,  is  confidently  denied  by  the  ignorant  man. 
He  tells  you  it  cannot  be  true  ;  for  it  contradicts  the 
testimony  of  his  senses.  Why  does  he  think  so  ? 
Because  he  concludes  he  has  a  full  view  of  the  whole 
creation  ;  whereas  it  is  but  a  small  portion  that  his  eye 
is  capable  of  taking  in  at  once.  And  the  man  splits 
on  the  same  rock,  who,  because  the  events  which  take 


GROWTH    IN    KNOWLEDGE.  253 

place  around  him  are  different  from  what  he  thinks  are 
wisest  and  best,  therefore  affirms  absolutely  that  God 
cannot  have  appointed  them  so,  and  is  not  "  working 
all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will." 

"  One  part,  one  little  part,  we  dimly  scan, 

Through  the  dark  medium  of  life's  feverish  dream, 
Yet  dare  arraign  the  whole  eternal  plan, 
If  but  that  little  part  incongruous  seem." 

We  have  a  record  of  excellent  men,  in  ages  long 
past,  who,  for  a  time,  were  in  darkness  on  this  subject. 
When  Joseph  was  forced  away  from  his  aged  and  affec 
tionate  father,  and  sold  in  Egypt  for  a  slave,  and  there 
for  many  years  confined  in  a  dungeon,  how  dark,  how 
full  of  perplexity,  was  the  whole  transaction  !  Indeed, 
there  is  no  evidence  from  the  history  that  as  yet  it  had 
ever  entered  Joseph's  head,  that  this  was  God's  plan 
for  advancing  the  glory  of  his  great  name,  and  the 
interest  of  his  Zion ;  and  that  one  day  he  would  see 
'the  harmony,  and  beauty,  and  grandeur  of  that  whole 
dispensation,  now  so  mysterious  and  dark.  Joseph 
appears  to  have  looked  only  at  the  agency  of  man  in 
the  transaction  —  the  agency  of  his  brethren  who  sold 
him,  the  merchants  who  brought  him  to  Egypt,  the 
Egyptians  who  imprisoned  him.  Hear  his  language 
to  the  chief  butler :  "  For  I  indeed  was  stolen  away 
out  of  the  land  of  the  Hebrews ;  and  here  also  have  I 
done  nothing  that  they  should  put  me  into  this  dun 
geon.  Think  on  me  when  it  shall  be  well  with  thee, 
and  show  kindness,  I  pray  thee,  unto  me,  and  make 
mention  of  me  unto  Pharaoh,  and  bring  me  out  of  this 
house."  (Gen.  xl.  14,  15.)  But  Joseph  lived  to  see 
the  day  when  the  plan  of  God  was  ripe  for  accom- 
22 


254  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

plishment.  Then  his  eye  discerned  a  higher  hand 
than  that  of  his  brethren,  the  Ishmaelites,  and  the 
Egyptians,  in  this  whole  matter.  The  wonderful  ways 
of  God  thrilled  his  soul  with  admiration.  He  saw  the 
church  preserved,  the  kingdoms  around  kept  alive, 
through  a  long  and  destructive  famine,  and  the  honor 
of  the  God  of  Israel  exalted  in  the  view  of  the  nations. 
Then  he  saw  that  the  whole  transaction  was  planned 
and  moved  forward  by  the  counsel  of  the  Almighty. 
Hear  his  language  to  his  brethren  :  "  I  am  Joseph,  your 
brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt.  Now,  therefore, 
be  not  grieved  nor  angry  with  yourselves,  that  ye  sold 
me  hither  ;  for  God  did  send  me  before  you  to  preserve 
life.  God  sent  me  before  you,  to  preserve  you  a  pos 
terity  in  the  earth,  and  to  save  your  lives  by  a  great  de 
liverance.  So,  now,  it  was  not  you  that  sent  me  hither, 
but  God  ;  and  he  hath  made  me  a  father  to  Pharaoh, 
and  lord  of  all  his  house,  and  a  ruler  throughout  all  the 
land  of  Egypt.  But  as  for  you,  ye  thought  evil  against 
me  j  but  God  meant  it  unto  good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as  it 
is  this  day,  to  save  much  people  alive."  (Gen.  xlv.  4, 
5,  7,  8,  and  1.  20.)  Take  another  instance.  When 
"  Jesus  began  to  show  unto  his  disciples  how  that  he 
must  go  into  Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things  of  the 
elders,  and  chief  priests,  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,'' 
Peter,  "  leaning  to  his  own  understanding,"  quite  con 
fident  that  such  a  dreadful  event  as  the  killing  of  the 
holy,  harmless  Jesus  could  form  no  part  of  the  plan 
of  a  wise  and  holy  God,  "began  to  rebuke  "  his  Master 
for  holding  and  teaching  such  doctrine  —  "  Be  it  far 
from  thee,  Lord:  this  shall  not  be  unto  thee."  Jesus, 
with  unusual  severity,  reproved  him —  "  Get  thee  be 
hind  me,  Satan  :  thou  art  an  offence  unto  me  ;  for 


GROWTH    IN    KNOWLEDGE.  255 

thou  savorest  not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  those 
that  be  of  men,"  plainly  teaching  that  his  "suffering 
many  things,  and  being  killed"  of  which  Peter  did  not 
approve,  was  the  plan  of  God.  (Matt.  xvi.  21 — 23.) 
But  Peter  lived  to  see  the  day  when  light  from  on  high 
shone  on  this  wonderful  transaction.  He  saw  that  the 
death  of  his  Master  brought  life  to  the  world,  and  that 
heaven  should  be  peopled,  and  the  praises  of  the  Lord 
celebrated  through  all  eternity,  by  multitudes  which 
no  man  can  number,  washed  from  their  sins  in  that 
fountain  opened  on  Calvary.  And  now  he  glories  in 
"  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified."  Now  he  sees  that 
what  astounded  him  at  first,  as  altogether  incredible, 
is  the  plan  of  that  God  "  who  is  wonderful  in  coun 
cil,  and  excellent  in  working."  Hear  him,  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  addressing  the  crucifiers  of  his  Mas 
ter  :  "  Him,  being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel 
and  foreknowledge  of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  with 
wicked  hands  have  crucified  and  slain."  (Acts  ii.  23.) 
And  a  few  days  after,  to  the  same  people  he  says, 
"  And  now,  brethren,  I  wot  that  through  ignorance  ye 
did  it,  as  did  also  your  rulers.  But  those  things  which 
God  before  had  showed  by  the  mouth  of  all  his  proph 
ets,  that  Christ  should  suffer,  he  hath  so  fulfilled." 
(Acts  iii.  17,  18.)  And,  indeed,  all  the  disciples,  though 
at  first,  perhaps,  as  reluctant  as  Peter  to  believe  it,  were 
now  so  thoroughly  imbued  with  this  doctrine,  that  we 
find  it  not  only  in  their  sermons,  but  in  their  prayers. 
In  Acts  iv.  27,  28,  we  find  them  uniting,  with  one 
heart,  in  this  address  to  God  :  "  For  of  a  truth  against 
thy  holy  child  Jesus,  whom  thou  hast  anointed,  both 
Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate,  with  the  Gentiles  and  people 
of  Israel,  were  gathered  together,  for  to  do  whatsoever 


256  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

thy  hand  and  thy  counsel   determined  before  to  be 
done." 

Now,  it  is  not  strange  that,  while  the  church  is  in  a 
low  condition,  and  the  power  of  Satan  is  great  among 
the  nations,  there  should  be  many  pious  people,  who, 
like  Joseph  in  the  dungeon,  and  like  Peter  in  the  in 
fancy  of  his  Christianity,  are  disposed  to  deny  that 
many  events  which  they  witness  belong  to  the  wise 
and  good  plan  of  the  great  God.  But  as  Joseph  and 
Peter  advanced  in  divine  knowledge  until  they  ob 
tained  more  exalted  views  of  the  truth  of  God,  so  all 
true  Christians  shall  grow  in  the  knowledge  of  God 
until  all  their  errors  shall  be  cast  away.  The  path  of 
the  just,  like  the  shining  light,  shineth  more  and  more 
until  the  perfect  day.  And  thus,  when  the  church 
attains  the  full  maturity  of  her  glory  in  the  millennial 
day,  all  her  children  shall  see  eye  to  eye  ;  and  in  the 
heavenly  state  God  shall  wipe  all  tears  from  the  eyes 
of  his  people  ;  for  he  will  then  show  them  that  he  has 
done  all  things  well. 


SAINTS    EXCEL    ANGELS    IN    GLORY.        257 


SAINTS   TO  EXCEL  ANGELS   IN   GLORY. 


THE  prospects  which  the  gospel  presents  to  Adam's 
children  are  wonderful.  God  has  created  a  great 
variety  of  intellectual  beings.  We  read  of  angels, 
cherubim,  seraphim,  principalities,  powers,  thrones, 
dominions,  &c.,  &c.,  all  which  terms,  doubtless,  denote 
other  orders  of  intelligent  beings,  who  have  been 
formed  by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty.  But  among  all 
creatures  in  God's  wide  empire,  MAN,  alone,  finds  his 
nature  united  to  the  Divinity. 

In  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  humanity  is  joined  to 
the  uncreated  Godhead.  The  second  person  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  put  on  our  nature  when  he  came  to 
earth.  In  our  nature  he  lived.  In  our  nature  he 
received  the  stroke  of  death.  In  our  nature  he  arose 
from  the  grave  and  ascended  to  heaven.  In  our 
nature  he  now  reigns  above.  And  through  the  long 
periods  of  immortality,  he  will  be  clothed  in  the 
mantle  of  humanity.  This  single  fact  promises,  to 
the  redeemed  from  among  men,  an  elevation  in  the 
kingdom  of  their  Father,  to  which,  while  on  earth, 
our  boldest  conceptions  cannot  rise. 

It  is  clearly  held  out  in  the  word  of  God,  that  those 

who  are  ransomed  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  will,  in 

the  progress  of  eternal  ages,  ascend  beyond   all   the 

angel  hosts  in  holiness,  in  happiness,  and  in  nearness  to 

22* 


258  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  throne  of  God.  The  angels  are  "  all  ministering 
spirits  sent  forth "  at  his  command.  They  are  his 
servants.  They  were  created  to  serve  his  church  ; 
and,  however  holy,  happy,  and  glorious,  they  can  ap 
proach  God  in  no  other  character  than  as  servants. 
But  of  the  redeemed,  it  is  declared,  that  the  Lord  of 
glory  "is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren"  They 
have  a  peculiar  relationship  to  Christ  that  angels  have 
not.  They  ate  his  kindred;  and  he  is  their  elder 
Brother.  None  of  all  the  heavenly  family  are  thus 
united  to  the  Divine  Being  except  the  followers  of  the 
Lamb  ;  and  this  single  fact  —  I  repeat  it  —  promises  to 
the  saints  an  exceedingly  exalted  station  among  the 
children  of  their  Father. 

The  same  thing  appears  from  the  -intercessory  prayer 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  where  he  speaks  of  the  pecu 
liar  and  wonderfully  intimate  connection  between  him 
and  his  children.  His  prayer  is,  "  that  they  all  may 
be  one,  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that 
they  also  may  be  one  in  us.  And  the  glory  which 
thou  hast  given  me  have  I  given  them;  that  they 
may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one ;  I  in  them,  and  thou 
in  me."  Wonderful  petition  !  Blessed  Savior,  how 
high  is  the  hope  which  thou  hast  set  before  thy  peo 
ple  !  The  apostle  James  tells  us  that  God  designs  the 
saints  as  a  "kind  of  first-fruits  of  his  creatures."  In 
Rev.  ii.  17,  God  promises  to  bestow  on  those  who 
overcome  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  a  glory 
beyond  the  knowledge  of  all  created  beings  save  those 
who  receive  it.  And,  in  Rev.  xiv.  3,  we  are  told  that, 
among  the  anthems  of  eternity,  the  song  of  Redemp 
tion  is  peculiar  and  transcendent ;  and  that,  among  all 
the  bright  spirits  above,  none  can  learn  that  song  but 
the  thousands  who  are  redeemed  from  the  earth. 


SAINTS    EXCEL    ANGELS    IN    GLORY.        259 

This  truth  is  also  implied  in  what  we  are  taught 
respecting  the  manner  in  which  the  perfections  of  the 
invisible  God  are  revealed  to  his  creatures.  Christ 
says,  "  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only- 
begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
he  hath  declared  him."  "No  man  knoweth  the 
Father  but  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom  the  Son  will 
reveal  him."  The  apostle  asserts  that  God  created  all 
things  by  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  intent  that  "  now  unto 
principalities  and  powers  in  heavenly  places  might  be 
made  known  by  the  church  the  manifold  wisdom  of 
God."  It  is  through  the  church,  then,  that  the  per 
fections  of  God  are  chiefly  revealed  to  other  orders  of 
beings.  Accordingly,  the  redeemed  family  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  set  forth  in  Scripture  as  the  admiration  of 
all  heaven.  In  the  beautiful  language  of  the  poet,  — 

"  Nearest  the  throne,  and  first  in  song, 

Man  shall  his  hallelujahs  raise  ; 
While  wondering  angels  round  him  throng, 
And  swell  the  triumph  of  his  praise." 

"  And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me, 
What  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  ?  and 
whence  came  they  ?  And  I  said  unto  him,  Sir,  thou 
knowest.  And  he  said  to  me,  These  are  they  which 
came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their 
robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 
Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and 
serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple  ;  and  he  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  among  them.  They 
shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more  ;  neither 
shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat."  (Rev.  vii. 
13 — 17.)  There  is  a  charming  imagery  used  by  the 


260  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

sacred  writers  to  set  forth  the  glory  of  the  various 
orders  of  holy  beings  in  the  dominions  of  the  great 
God.  They  are  mentioned  as  brilliant  luminaries, 
reflecting  the  light  that  issues  from  the  uncreated 
throne.  The  Lord  declares  to  Job  that,  when  he 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth,  "  the  morning  stars 
sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for 
joy."  The  morning  stars  were  doubtless  holy  and 
happy  spirits  that  his  hand  had  formed.  Paul  says, 
"  There  is  one  glory  of  the  sun,  and  another  glory  of 
the  moon,  and  another  glory  of  the  stars ;  and  one 
star  difTereth  from  another  in  glory."  Daniel,  in 
view  of  the  events  of  the  resurrection  day,  declares, 
"  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteous 
ness,  as  stars  forever  and  ever."  Of  the  same  day  the 
Savior  says,  "  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as 
the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father." 

What  a  delightful  idea  does  this  imagery  present  to 
the  mind,  of  the  glory  of  Jehovah's  upper  kingdom  !  On 
the  great  white  throne  is  seated  the  everlasting  I  AM. 
Before  him  are  the  several  orders  of  angelic  beings, 
as  stars  of  various  magnitudes  in  the  firmament  of 
heaven,  ever  growing  in  capacity,  increasing  in  bril 
liancy,  from  glory  to  glory,  and  rising  to  higher  and 
higher  stations  before  the  great  Eternal.  But  the  Son 
of  God  has  been  sent  on  an  errand  of  mercy  to  a 
revolted  world;  arid  behold,  in  virtue  of  his  mediation, 
"a  great  wonder  is  seen  in  heaven."  On  the  verge  of 
the  celestial  horizon  new  lights  are  discovered  ;  stars 
of  uncommon  brilliancy  begin  to  appear ;  constellation 
after  constellation  rises  into  view.  Who  are  these? 
These  are  the  companies  of  patriarchs,  and  prophets, 


SAINTS    EXCEL    ANGELS    IN    GLORY.         261 

and  martyrs.  These  are  the  redeemed  from  the  earth. 
They  increase  more  rapidly  in  brightness  and  glory. 
They  move  in  swifter  courses  up  the  heavenly  firma 
ment.  They  pass  by  the  shining  ranks  of  angels, 
cherubim  and  seraphim,  and  draw  nearer  to  the  divine 
throne.  Hark  !  what  music  rolls  from  the  triumphant 
multitude  over  all  the  heavenly  plains !  "  Unto  him 
that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his 
own  blood,  be  honor  and  glory  forever  and  ever  ! " 
Blessed  Jesus  !  are  these  the  travail  of  thy  soul  ?  O, 
give  us  a  place  among  thy  saints  when'thou  shalt 
make  up  thy  jewels  ! 


262  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


THE  DOCTRINES  PREFERRED  IN 
HEAVEN. 


"  And  the  seventh  angel  sounded  ;  and  there  were  great  voices  in 
heaven,  saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  king 
doms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ ;  and  he  shall  reign  forever 
and  ever.  And  the  four  and  twe'nty  elders,  which  sat  before  God 
on  their  seats,  fell  upon  their  faces,  and  worshipped  God,  saying, 
We  give  thee  thanks,  O  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  art,  and  wast, 
and  art  to  come  ;  because  thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great  potver,  and 
hast  reigned.  (Rev.  xi.  15  —17.) 

THIS  life  is  but  the  birthday  of  the  children  of  God. 
Their  attainments,  while  on  earth,  in  knowledge,  in 
grace,  and  in  every  excellency,  are  small  in  comparison 
with  what  they  shall  be  in  that  world  to  which  they 
go.  Our  Savior,  when  on  earth,  said  to  one  of  his 
disciples,  "  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now  ;  but 
thou  shalt  know  hereafter."  Paul  observes,  "  Now,  I 
see  through  a  glass  darkly."  "  We  know  in  part" 
And  he  refers  to  a  period  "  when  that  which  is  perfect 
shall  come,  and  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done 
away."  The  variety  of  conflicting  opinions  on  divine 
subjects  that  now  exist  among  the  friends  of  the  Re 
deemer,  are  chiefly  owing  to  the  small  advances  they 
have  made  in  acquaintance  with  the  word  and  won 
derful  ways  of  God.  It  is  delightful  to  reflect  that  a 
day  is  coming,  when  all  who  love  the  Lord  shall  "  see 
eye  to  eye,"  and  "know  even  as  they  are  known." 


DOCTRINES    PREFERRED    IN    HEAVEN.    263 

When  we  see  different  denominations,  each  contain 
ing  many  zealous  and  excellent  Christians,  divided  in 
sentiment,  and  each  earnestly  laboring  to  maintain 
their  peculiar  doctrines,  the  following  question  fre 
quently  presses  on  the  mind :  "  When  these  disciples 
leave  this  world  of  darkness,  and  the  light  of  eternity 
shines  around  them,  which  class  will  find  that  they 
had  been  mistaken  while  on  earth,  and  discover  that 
the  doctrines  they  had  thought  so  objectionable  are 
full  of  perfection,  beauty,  and  glory  ?  With  respect  to 
those  points  on  which,  while  in  this  world,  pious  Cal- 
vinists  and  pious  Arminians  differ  so  widely,  without 
attempting  to  say  who  will  be  found  in  the  right  at 
last,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  inquire  which  of  the 
systems,  on  being  found  the  true  one,  appears  best  cal 
culated  to  fill  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  with  triumph 
and  joy.  It  is  plain,  from  the  texts  recorded  at  the 
head  of  this  article,  that  when  the  Almighty  has  wound 
up  all  the  affairs  of  our  world,  the  glorified  saints  and 
holy  angels,  on  reviewing  all  that  has  taken  place 
under  his  reign,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  time, 
will  be  exceedingly  gratified.  "  We  give  thee  thanks, 
O  Lord  God  Almighty,  who  art,  and  wast,  and  art  to 
come,  because  thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great  power, 
and  hast  reigned."  Now,  which  of  the  above-named 
systems  of  doctrine,  on  being  found  true,  appears  to 
furnish  the  broadest  ground  for  such  high  transport  — 
such  unbounded  triumph  ?  And  here  let  it  be  care 
fully  remarked,  that  the  very  same  number  of  souls 
will  then  be  found  in  heaven,  whether  Calvinism  or 
Arminianism  proves  to  be  true.  There  will  be  no 
more  of  the  human  family  in  heaven,  and  no  fewer 
in  hell,  if  the  Arminian  scheme  is  then  pronounced 


264  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOCXK. 

correct,  than  there  will  be  if  Calvinism  should  then  be 
declared  the  true  system.  Both  parties  now  acknowl 
edge  that  as  to  those  who  have  lived  and  died  in  ages 
past,  a  number  have  been  saved,  and  a  number  have 
been  lost.  The  exact  number  of  both  classes  is  now 
known  to  God.  Our  Arminian  brethren  will  not  con 
tend  that,  if  their  doctrines  are  found  true,  any  who 
have  already  died  impenitent  will  enter  into  heaven  ; 
and  they  will  admit  that,  if  our  doctrines  are  then 
found  true,  all  who  in  past  ages  have  not  died  impeni 
tent  will  be  crowned  with  glory.  And  with  respect  to 
those  who  shall  live  in  ages  to  come,  the  omniscient 
God  knows  now,  with  infinite  certainty,  who  will 
reach  heaven,  and  who  will  not.  So  that  as  to  the 
number  of  souls  who  will  reach  heaven,  and  the  num 
ber  that  will  perish,  Arminianism,  in  the  judgment  of 
saints  and  angels,  will  have  no  advantage  over  the 
doctrines  we  maintain. 

-  Let  us  now  inquire  which  of  the  systems  appears  cal 
culated  to  impart  the  highest  ecstasies  to  the  heavenly 
hosts.  Suppose  Arminianism  should  prove  to  be  true. 
What  are  the  facts  that  will  stand  out  to  the  view  of 
saints  and  angels,  when  they  look  back,  from  the  judg 
ment  day,  over  all  the  events  that  have  taken  place  in 
our  world,  from  the  creation  to  the  end  of  time  ?  If 
Arminianism  be  true,  saints  and  angels  will  then  see 
that  when  the  great  Creator  formed  man,  he  had  no 
desire  nor  intention  that  the  affairs  of  our  world  should 
take  the  course  they  have  taken.  They  will  see  that 
it  was  his  desire  that  the  fall  of  man  should  not  take 
place,  but  that  Satan  prevented  that  desire  from  being 
gratified.  They  will  see  that  when  the  Supreme  Being 
found  that  his  first  design  of  having  all  the  human 


DOCTRINES    PREFERRED    IN    HEAVEN.     265 

race  holy  and  happy  was  defeated  by  Satan,  and  things 
had  come  to  pass  which  he  would  gladly  have  avoided, 
he  then,  in  order  to  mend  matters  as  much  as  possible, 
set  on  foot  the  scheme  of  redemption.  They  will  see 
that  the  scheme  of  redemption  was  accomplished  at 
immense  cost ;  and  although  it  answered  a  consider 
able  purpose,  yet  it  did  not,  by  any  means,  accomplish 
all  that  its  Author  desired.  Satan  made  prodigious 
headway  against  it  for  thousands  of  years  j  and 
although  repulsed  in  many  instances,  and  deprived  of 
a  number  of  his  subjects,  yet,  on  the  whole,  his  suc 
cess  was  great ;  and  the  Almighty  would  have  rejoiced 
if  the  gospel  could  have  had  much  greater  success,  and 
Satan  had  lost  many  more  of  his  subjects.  They  will 
see  that  the  Most  High  had  been  baffled  and  frustrated 
in  many  of  his  benevolent  designs,  and  had  desired 
many  things  which  were  never  accomplished.  If  Ar- 
minianism  be  true,  these  facts  must  meet  the  eyes  of 
saints  and  angels  at  every  period  in  eternity,  when 
they  look  back  over  the  history  of  our  world  j  and  it 
is  difficult  to  conceive  that,  with  these  mournful  facts 
continually  in  view,  their  rejoicings  will  be  altogether 
unmingled  with  regret.  Must  they  not  regret  that  the 
good  designs  of  their  Creator  had  not  been  more  suc 
cessful  ?  Must  not  clouds  of  sorrow  bedim  their  eyes, 
when  they  see  that  the  malignant  enemy  of  their  God 
succeeded  in  his  malicious  schemes  to  so  great  an  ex 
tent,  and  that  he  was  only  defeated  in  some  instances  ? 
O,  how  would  their  hearts  leap  for  joy,  could  they  only 
find  that  all  the  schemes  and  designs  of  the  old  serpent 
had  been  efTeptually  frustrated  and  crushed,  and  had 
been  so  overruled,  as  to  advance  the  honor  and  glory 
of  the  great  God  whom  he  opposed !  O,  how  would 
23 


266  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  triumphant  hallelujah  roll  from  each  heavenly 
tongue,  could  they  only  find  that  the  high  and  holy 
One  had  never,  in  a  single  instance,  been  disappointed, 
and  had,  from  the  creation  to  the  judgment  day, 
"  worked  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will," 
had  caused  the  "wrath  of  man"  and  the  wrath  of 
devils  to  "  praise  him,"  and  had  "  restrained  the  re 
mainder  of  the  wrath,"  had  completely  gratified  all  his 
benevolent  desires,  and  accomplished  "all  his  pleasure ! " 
But  alas!  these  are  raptures  which,  if  the  Arminian 
doctrines  be  correct,  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  will 
never  enjoy.  According  to  that  plan,  it  will  be  true, 
till  the  remotest  periods  in  eternity,  that  the  great  Jeho 
vah,  after  all  the  efforts  he  has  made,  has  failed  to 
accomplish  many  of  his  benevolent  desires ;  and  that 
the  inroads  of  Satan  on  his  kingdom  in  the  world 
were  vastly  more  extensive  and  successful  than  he  ever 
designed. 

But  should  the  doctrines  for  which  we  contend, 
after  all  the  high-handed  and  diversified  opposition  they 
have  had  to  encounter  in  this  revolted  world,  be  found 
true  at  last,  will  they  furnish  any  greater  reason  for 
the  glorified  armies  above,  to  celebrate,  in  anthems  of 
unmingled  triumph,  the  victories  of  their  King  ?  We 
think  that  in  this  respect  the  difference  between  the 
two  systems  is  immense,  and  that  the  advantages  pos 
sessed  by  our  doctrines  over  those  of  our  Arminian 
brethren  are  high  as  heaven  and  lasting  as  eternity. 
If  the  Calvinistic  doctrines  are  true,  then  the  follow 
ing  facts  will  stand  as  long  as  immortality  endures, 
conspicuous  and  bright  in  the  view  of  saints  and  angels. 
They  will  see  that  the  glorious  plan  of  man's  redemp 
tion  was  no  afterthought  of  the  great  I  AM,  when  he 


DOCTRINES  PREFERRED  IN  HEAVEN.  267 

found  that  his  first  plan  was  frustrated  by  his  artful 
and  implacable  enemy.  They  will  see  "  that,  from  the 
beginning,"  it  was  the  determinate  purpose  of  the  un 
changeable  God  to  manifest,  by  this  great  work,  his 
adorable  perfections  to  an  admiring  universe.  They 
will  see  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer  of  men,  who 
was  manifest  in  these  last  times,  "  was  verily  fore 
ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,"  (1  Pet. 
i.  20;)  that,  in  the  purpose  and  plan  of  God,  he  was 
"  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world," 
(Rev.  xiii.  8;)  that  his  saints  were  "chosen  in  him 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world,"  (Eph.  i.  4  ;) 
and  that,  from  that  early  date,  their  "names  were 
written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life,"  (Rev.  xiii.  8.) 
They  will  see  that  this  amazing  development  of  his 
wonderful  perfections  in  the  scheme  of  man's  redemp 
tion,  is  the  grand  object  Jehovah  had  in  view,  when 
he  undertook  to  build  the  universe.  They  will 
see  that  he  "  created  all  things  by  Jesus  Christ  ; 
to  the  intent  that  now  unto  principalities  and  powers, 
in  heavenly  places,  might  be  made  known,  by  the 
church,  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God,  according  to 
the  eternal  purpose  which  he  purposed  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord."  (Eph.  iii.  9 — 11.)  They  will  see  that  by 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer  of  men,  "  were  all  things 
created  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that  are  in  earth, 
visible  and  invisible  ;  whether  they  be  thrones,  or 
dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers  ;  all  things  were 
created  by  him  and  for  him."  (Col.  i.  16.)  He 
formed  the  angels  in  heaven  "  all  ministering  spirits, 
and  sent  them  forth  to  minister  for  them  who  shall 
be  heirs  of  salvation.'1  (Heb.  i.  14.)  They  will  see 
that  all  the  dark  devices  and  malicious  schemes  of 


268  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Satan  have  never,  for  a  moment,  ruffled  the  tranquil 
lity,  or  disconcerted  the  plan,  of  the  great  .God.  In  no 
instance  has  he  been  overmatched  —  in  no  design  has 
he  been  disappointed —  in  no  benevolent  effort  has  he 
failed.  "  With  omniscient  eye  he  has  ever  beheld  his 
unshaken  counsels,  and  with  almighty  hand  he  has 
rolled  on  his  undisturbed  decrees."  They  will  see 
that  when  the  raging  dragon  cast  out  of  his  mouth 
"  waters  as  a  flood,"  to  overwhelm  the  church,  He  who 
"  dwelleth  in  the  high  and  holy  place  "  has  looked 
down,  with  placid  serenity,  on  the  foam  and  dashing 
of  the  billows  ;  and,  whenever  the  interest  of  his  Zion 
required  it,  he  said,  "  Peace,  be  still,"  and  "  there  was 
a  great  calm."  They  will  see  that  he  has  always  had 
Satan  under  his  control,  and  that,  as  in  the  case  of 
Job,  where  Satan  could  not  touch  his  property,  nor 
touch  his  person,  but  when  God  saw  it  wisest  and 
best  to  suffer  it  to  be  done,  so,  in  every  age,  he  has 
had  his  "  hook  in  Satan's  nose,  and  his  bridle  in  his 
lips,"  and  has  restrained  and  controlled  him  at  pleas 
ure.  They  will  see  that  the  Almighty  could  have 
"bound  Satan,  and  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit, 
and  shut  him  up,  and  set  a  seal  upon  him,"  as  easily 
before  he  first  came  to  the  garden  of  Eden,  as  at  the 
commencement  of  the  latter-day  glory.  (Rev.  xx.  1 — 
3.)  But  he  did  not.  He  saw  it  wisest  and  best,  on  the 
whole,  to  suffer  the  fall  of  man  to  take  place,  having 
determined,  by  this  means,  to  make  the  universe  of 
created  beings  sensible  of  the  instability  and  mutable 
nature  of  all  creatures,  and  fasten  on  their  minds  a 
deep  and  everlasting  conviction  of  their  absolute  de 
pendence  on  the  one  immutable  God  •  designing  also 
to  send  his  beloved  Son,  and  in  his  suffering  and  death 


DOCTRINES    PREFERRED    IN    HEAVEN.    269 

to  show  forth  the  immeasurable  wisdom  and  power, 
truth  and  justice,  love  and  mercy,  of  the  uncreated 
One.  They  will  see  that,  from  the  first  morning  of 
creation,  the  Lord  has  sat  on  his  holy  throne,  and  has 
held,  with  almighty  hand,  the  reins  of  universal  domin 
ion  ;  has  "  done  according  to  his  pleasure  in  the  armies 
of  heaven,"  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  ; 
none  have  been  able  to  baffle  his  designs,  or  defeat  his 
purposes.  Those  eyes  that  "  neither  slumber  nor 
sleep"  have  constantly  been  "in  every  place."  The 
hand  of  the  Lord  has  been  stretched  out  in  all  the 
earth  ;  and,  while  kingdoms  and  empires,  and  all  the 
weighty  concerns  of  the  universe,  have  been  upon  his 
hands,  he  has  carefully  attended  to  the  minutest 
matters.  He  has  clothed  the  lilies,  fed  the  young 
ravens,  hearkened  to  the  cry  of  the  widow  and  the 
fatherless,  attended  to  the  wants  of  the  little  sparrow, 
and  numbered  the  very  hairs  of  the  head  of  his  chil 
dren.  They  will  see  that,  from  first  to  last,  he  has 
moved  every  wheel,  controlled  every  event,  disposed 
of  every  being,  and  directed  every  atom,  so  as  to  pro 
mote,  in  the  highest  degree,  the  glory  of  his  great 
name,  and  the  joy  of  his  holy  kingdom.  And  al 
though  it  was  Satan's  malevolent  aim,  when  he 
seduced  the  human  family,  to  rob  God  of  his  glory, 
and  fill  his  kingdom  with  ruin,  yet  He  who  is  "  won 
derful  in  council,  and  excellent  in  working,"  has  so 
managed  all  events,  that  in  the  end  God  is  more  glori 
fied,  and  his  kingdom  more  exalted,  in  holiness  and 
happiness,  than  could  have  been  if  angels  had  never 
revolted,  and  man  had  never  fallen  !  Thus  the  "  head 
of  the  old  serpent  is  bruised,"  his  aim  totally  defeated, 
23* 


270  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

his  hopes  all  overthrown.  "  O  the  depth  of  the  riches 
both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  !  " 

All  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  will  gaze,  with  inef 
fable  delight,  on  the  wonderful  counsels  and  perfect 
works  of  God.  They  see  that  he  has  "  done  all  things 
well ; "  that  such  is  the  infinite  perfection  of  that  plan 
which  he  formed  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
that  if  all  were  now  to  be  done  over  again,  not  one 
jot,  not  one  tittle,  could  be  altered  for  the  better. 
Their  satisfaction*  is  unbounded.  They  prostrate 
themselves  before  his  throne.  "  We  give  thee  thanks, 
O  Lord  God  Almighty,  who  art,  and  wast,  and  art  to 
come,  because  thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great  power, 
and  hast  reigned  !  " 

Millions  of  ages  roll  around.  The  saints  and  angels, 
cherubim  and  seraphim,  and  all  the  happy  family  of 
the  great  God,  make  astonishing  advances  in  holiness, 
in  happiness,  and  in  knowledge.  Again  they  review 
the  history  of  our  world  ;  and  still,  in  all  the  manage 
ment  of  God.  from  first  to  last,  they  behold  boundless 
perfection,  beauty,  and  glory.  Still  they  gaze  with 
increasing  rapture  on  the  wonderful  work  of  redemp 
tion,  transcendently  glorious  amidst  all  the  works  of 
God  —  a  tall  column  of  light,  streaming  from  the  sum 
mit  of  Calvary  above  creation,  and  throwing  its  radi 
ance  to  the  utmost  boundaries  of  Jehovah's  dominions. 
They  look  down ;  and  still  they  see  the  "  roaring 
lion,"  that  so  long  fought  against  the  cause  of  God, 
utterly  overthrown,  bound  in  chains,  and  buried  deep 
among  the  ruins  of  his  kingdom.  They  look  up ;  and 
they  behold  immortal  victory  still  perching  on  the 
standard  of  Immanuel.  Still  they  behold  the  banner 
of  the  Son  of  God  waving  in  everlasting  triumph  over 


DOCTRINES    PREFERRED    IN    HEAVEN.     271 

all  the  empire  of  the  Almighty.  Amen  !  Hallelujah  ! 
"  And  a  voice  carne  out  of  the  throne,  saying,  Praise 
our  God,  all  ye  his  servants,  and  ye  that  fear  him,  both 
small  and  great ;  and  I  heard,  as  it  were,  the  voice  of 
a  great  multitude,  and  as  the  voice  of  many  waters, 
and  as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunderings,  saying,  Alle 
luia!  for  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth."  (Rev. 
xix.  5,  6.) 


272  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


THE    MILLENNIUM. 


"  They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain ;  for 
the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea."  (Isaiah  xi.  9.) 

THE  church  of  God  in  our  world  has,  for  many  ages, 
passed  through  the  deep  waters,  and  through  fiery  trials. 
Satan  has,  for  a  long  season,  led  the  nations  at  his  will. 
Barefaced  impiety  has  stalked  undaunted  through  the 
earth,  and  flung  defiance  at  Heaven.  To  support  and 
cheer  the  hearts  of  his  children  during  this  season  of 
spiritual  desolation  and  darkness,  Godf  was  pleased,  at 
an  early  day,  to  pledge  his  word  to  the  church,  that  he 
would  grant  her  a  brighter  day ;  that  a  period  should 
come  when  Satan  should  be  bound,  and  the  whole 
earth  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord. 

This  was  clearly  implied  in  that  notable  promise, 
"  The  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's 
head."  The  head  is  the  seat  of  intelligence,  and,  as 
such,  the  seat  of  counsel.  By  "  bruising  the  serpent's 
head,"  is  evidently  meant  giving  an  entire  defeat  to 
the  counsels  of  the  old  serpent. 

The  promise  to  Abraham  more  fully  announced 
God's  design  to  make  his  church  triumphant.  "  In 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 
Abraham  believed  God.  Wonderful  instance  of  the 
power  of  faith  !  He  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  revolted 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  273 

world.  He  looked  around  j  he  saw  the  nations,  on 
every  hand,  casting  off  the  fear  of  God,  and  sinking 
down  into  idolatry.  He  looked  back  on  the  past  his 
tory  of  the  world  j  he  saw  that  in  all  former  ages  the 
impetuous  current  of  depravity  had  swept  the  children 
of  men  away  from  God,  and  from  heaven.  He  saw 
that  the  flame  of  piety,  which  was  kindled,  at  first, 
among  the  children  of  Seth,  had  dwindled  to  a  spark 
—  the  spark  that  glimmered  in  the  house  of  Noah, 
while  the  whole  earth  was  covered  with  darkness. 
The  earth  had  now  been  peopled  anew,  from  that  one 
pious  family.  Abraham  had  lived  till  he  was  a  hun 
dred  years  old  among  them.  The  mournful  fact  was 
now  notorious,  that  all  the  terror  of  God's  wrath,  dis 
played  in  the  destruction  of  the  old  world,  was  forgot 
ten.  He  saw  the  children  of  pious  Noah,  in  crowds 
and  nations,  turning  away  from  the  Creator  of  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  and  worshipping  serpents,  and 
four-footed  beasts,  and  fowls,  and  fishes.  He  saw  that 
such  was  their  predilection  for  idolatry,  that  they  would 
take  their  hammer  and  chisel,  and  make  themselves 
gods  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  and  iron,  and  then 
fall  down,  and  worship  them.  They  would  take  their 
axe,  and  their  saw,  and  make  gods  of  logs  and  stumps, 
and  then  prostrate  themselves,  and  pay  divine  honors. 
Such  were  the  circumstances,  when  the  Lord  comes  to 
Abraham,  and  tells  him,  that,  aged  and  childless  as  he 
now  is,  he  shall  be  the  father  of  many  nations  ;  and 
that  among  his  descendants  a  deliverer  shall  arise,  who 
shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from  the  earth  ;  and  all 
nations  shall  forsake  their  idolatry,  and  worship  the 
living  and  true  God.  Such  were  the  words  of  the 
Almighty ;  and,  dark  as  prospects  were,  Abraham 


274  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  staggered  not  at  the  promise  of  God,  but  was  strong 
in  faith." 

Is  any  one  ready  to  say,  "  The  Lord  is  slack  con 
cerning  his  promise  ;  and  the  day  that  Abraham  ex 
pected  will  never  come "  ?  I  reply,  the  Lord  has 
made  good  his  word,  when,  to  the  view  of  man,  it  ap 
peared  altogether  as  unlikely  as  in  the  present  case. 

On  the  last  clear  day  that  preceded  the  deluge,  it 
appeared  as  unlikely  to  scoffers  of  that  age,  that  the 
huge  vessel  which  Noah  had  built  should  float  fifteen 
cubits  above  the  top  of  the  tallest  mountains,  as  it  can 
appear  to  infidels  now,  that  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
shall  cover  the  earth,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 
Such  a  thing  had  never  been  heard  of  since  the  day 
that  God  created  man  upon  the  earth ;  and  the  finger 
of  derision  was  pointed,  and  the  lip  of  scorn  was 
curled,  while  Noah,  "  warned  of  God,  and  moved  with 
fear,  prepared  an  ark,  to  the  saving  of  himself  and 
house."  But  on  the  same  day  that  Noah  entered  into 
the  ark,  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were  broken 
up,  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were  opened,  and  the 
scream  of  a  drowning  world  was  unheeded  by  an  in 
sulted  God  j  and,  at  this  day,  the  infidel  who  would 
deny  the  Bible  is  constrained,  by  the  science  of  geolo 
gy,  to  acknowledge  that,  for  some  cause,  this  earth  has 
been  overwhelmed  with  a  universal  deluge. 

That  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  yet  triumph 
in  every  nation,  is  not  more  unlikely  now,  than  the 
deliverance  of  Israel  from  Egypt,  and  their  settlement 
in  Canaan,  were  on  that  day  when  Moses  turned  aside 
to  gaze  on  the  burning  bush.  Egypt  was  at  this  time, 
perhaps,  the  most  powerful  monarchy  on  earth.  Israel 
was  trodden  into  the  very  mire  of  the  streets.  So 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  275 

completely  dispirited  and  heart-broken  were  they,  that 
officers  and  men  of  note  among  them  were  beaten  with 
out  resistance,  and  tamely  submitted  to  the  unreason 
able  demands  of  Pharaoh's  taskmasters.  The  land  of 
their  fathers,  the  graves  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
seem  to  have  been  forgotten.  How  unlikely  that  such 
a  people  would  burst  the  chain  that  bound  them,  and 
march  forth  in  all  the  majesty  of  freedom  !  But  grant 
ing  they  were  freed  from  the  grasp  of  Egypt,  how 
shall  they  obtain  possession  of  Canaan  ?  That  land  is 
possessed  by  seven  nations,  "  greater  and  mightier  " 
than  Israel,  (Deut.  vii.  1,) —  nations  that  dwelt  in 
cities  that  were  walled,  and  strongly  fortified  —  nations 
terrible  in  battle,  and  trained  in  all  the  arts  of  war,  of 
which  the  sojourners  in  Egypt  were  utterly  ignorant. 
Could  any  thing  have  been  proposed,  that,  in  the  view 
of  short-sighted  man,  would  have  appeared  more  egre- 
giously  fanciful  and  extravagant,  than  an  attempt  by 
this  people  to  shake  off  the  fetters  of  this  gigantic 
monarchy,  and  conquer  and  take  possession  of  the  land 
of  seven  warlike  and  powerful  nations  ?  Pharaoh  and 
his  courtiers  laughed  at  it,  and  pronounced  the  whole 
scheme  a  mere  whim  of  idleness  and  folly.  But  the 
hand  of  God  is  made  bare.  Egypt  is  shaken  with 
judgment  after  judgment.  Pharaoh  and  his  lords  rebel 
and  blaspheme.  But  the  hand  of  God  is  heavier-  and 
heavier  upon  them.  It  was  midnight.  The  laborers 
had  sunk  in  deep  repose.  But  "  He  that  keepeth  Israel 
neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps."  At  his  bidding,  the  angel 
of  death  goes  abroad.  Every  family  is  visited.  The 
king,  and  all  his  servants,  spring  from  their  couches  in 
the  night.  "  There  is  a  great  cry  in  Egypt."  In  every 
house,  the  first-born  is  dead.  Moses  and  Aaron  are 


276  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

called.  "  Rise  up ;  get  you  forth  from  among  my 
people.'1  The  Egyptians  were  urgent  that  they  might 
send  them  out  in  haste  ;  for  they  said,  "  We  be  all 
dead  men."  Israel  is  thrust  out  of  Egypt  in  the  night. 
But  how  shall  they  know,  amidst  the  darkness,  the  way 
they  must  go  ?  A  sudden  gleam  of  new-created  light 
flashes  around  them  ;  and,  behold !  flaming  high  in 
mid  air,  is  a  pillar  of  fire,  to  direct  their  steps.  They 
gaze  on  the  heavenly  signal,  and  bless  the  God  of 
their  fathers.  It  begins  to  move  off  from  Egypt,  and 
takes  the  direction  of  the  promised  land.  Judah 
unfurls  his  banner,  and  calls  his  thousands  to  follow. 
The  standards  of  Reuben,  and  Ephraim,  and  Dan  rise 
in  front  of  their  tribes.  The  whole  assembly  is  in 
motion.  The  sun  rose  upon  the  earth,  and  beheld  the 
march  of  the  ransomed  armies  of  God.  On,  and  still  on, 
they  move.  The  Red  Sea  rolls  its  dark  waves  before 
them  ;  but  Moses  stretches  forth  his  rod,  and  they  march 
through  on  dry  ground.  Their  provisions  are  spent ;  but 
the  heavens  supply  them  with  bread.  The  wilderness 
is  parched  and  dry ;  but  the  smitten  rock  sends  out  a 
stream.  Jordan  divides  at  their  approach.  The  walls 
of  Jericho  fall.  Terror  seizes  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan. 
Host  after  host  is  routed.  The  war-horse  is  cut  down. 
The  chariot  of  iron  is  broken.  The  sun  pauses  in  the 
heavens,  and  the  moon  is  stayed  ;  but  the  cause  of 
God  goes  forward,  till  all  the  land  promised  to  Abra 
ham  is  divided  among  his  children.  God  had  promised 
it,  and  God  made  good  his  word. 

That  the  whole  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  tri 
umphs  of  the  gospel,  is  not,  in  the  view  of  man,  more 
unlikely  now,  than  the  victories  of  the  gospel,  in  the 
first  ages  of  the  Christian  church,  were,  when  Jesus 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  277 

hung  by  nails  to  the  cross  on  Calvary.  What  were  the 
circumstances  ?  An  obscure  personage  had  arisen  in 
Judea,  so  plain  in  appearance  that  he  wore  a  seamless 
garment.  A  few  tent-makers  and  fishermen  constitute 
his  train.  The  wealthy  and  the  powerful  of  the  Jewish 
nation  hold  him  in  unqualified  abhorrence.  At  length 
he  is  betrayed  by  one  disciple,  denied  by  another,  and 
forsaken  by  all.  By  the  most  influential  men  in  the 
country  he  is  accused  of  high  treason  before  the 
Roman  governor,  and  pronounced  worthy  of  death. 
He  is  led  from  the  hall  of  judgment  to  the  place  of 
execution,  followed  by  the  imprecations  of  that  im 
mense  crowd  which  the  passover  had  brought  to 
Jerusalem.  Thus  he  dies  in  circumstances  of  the 
most  aggravated  infamy.  What  rejecter  of  the  gospel, 
that  witnessed  this  scene,  believed  that  in  a  few  days 
Jerusalem  would  be  filled  with  worshippers  of  Jesus  ? 
Who,  that  disregarded  the  promise  of  God,  believed 
that  in  that  age  his  religion  would  overrun  the  Roman 
empire,  and  his  disciples,  then  living,  would  salute  the 
saints  in  Caesar's  household  ?  What  infidel  then  im 
agined  that  in  a  few  ages  the  emperor  of  Rome  would 
be  baptized,  and  publicly  avow  himself  a  disciple  of 
that  Jesus  who  was  crucified  without  the  gates  of 
Jerusalem  ? 

That  the  church  shall  enjoy  a  day  of  millennial 
glory,  is  scarcely  more  unlikely  now,  than  her  present 
condition  was  fifty  years  ago.  Many  now  living 
remember  well  the  haughty  brow  and  lofty  step  of 
infidelity  at  that  time.  And  many  a  prediction  was 
then  uttered,  that  in  ten  years  there  would  not  be  a 
Christian  in  America,  nor  a  Bible  acknowledged  as  the 
word  of  God.  Had  it  been  alleged  at  that  time,  that, 
24 


278  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

in  fifty  years,  thousands  of  Bible  societies  should  be 
in  vigorous  operation,  to  put  the  sacred  book  into  the 
hands  of  every  human  being ;  that  the  Cherokee  In 
dian,  and  the  Greenlander,  and  the  Chinese,  should  be 
reading  the  word  of  God  in  their  own  language  ;  that 
the  song  of  salvation  should  be  heard  on  the  moun 
tains  of  Asia,  and  on  the  plains  of  Africa ;  that  the 
islands  of  the  sea  should  be  seen  stretching  forth  their 
hands  to  God ;  that  thousands  of  hardy  sailors  should 
quit  their  blasphemy,  and  revere  the  God  of  the  ocean 
and  the  storm ;  that  millions  of  children,  in  Sabbath 
schools,  should  begin  to  lisp  hosannas  to  the  Son  of 
David  ;  that  millions  of  tracts,  with  the  news  of  mercy, 
should  travel  abroad  through  the  nations  ;  —  had  these 
things  been  alleged,  fifty  years  ago,  by  an  angel  of 
light,  many  would  have  thought  them  utterly  incredi 
ble,  and  the  answer  would  have  been  that  given  when 
plenty  was  predicted  in  the  gate  of  Samaria  —  "  If  the 
Lord  should  make  windows  in  heaven,  might  such  a 
thing  be?"  But  we  have  lived  to  see  it.  "It  is  the 
Lord's  doing,  and  marvellous  in  our  eyes."  I  have 
mentioned  these  instances  to  show  you  that  if  the  Lord 
has  said  he  will  fill  the  earth  with  his  glory,  and  sub 
due  all  nations  to  the  obedience  of  the  gospel,  we 
need  not  doubt  that  he  will  do  it,  because  the  event 
appears  to  us  improbable,  and  difficult  of  accomplish 
ment  ;  for  we  find  that  in  all  past  ages  he  has  made 
good  his  word,  and  performed  all  that  he  had  spoken, 
when  prospects,  in  the  view  of  men,  were  just  as  dark, 
and  just  as  unpromising. 

Let  us  now  open  the  sacred  book,  and  see  what 
Jehovah  has  said. 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  279 

mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in 
the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above 
the  hills ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it.  And 
many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come  ye,  and  let  us 
go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of  the 
God  of  Jacob,  and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and 
we  will  walk  in  his  paths  ;  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go 
forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem. 
And  he  shall  judge  among  the  nations,  and  shall 
rebuke  many  people  ;  and  they  shall  beat  their  swords 
into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks  : 
nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither 
shall  they  learn  war  any  more."  This  remarkable 
passage,  written  upwards  of  seven  hundred  years  before 
Christ  appeared  in  Bethlehem,  not  only  contains  an 
animated  description  of  the  latter-day  glory,  but  also 
distinctly  notices  the  means  by  which  it  shall  be 
introduced.  Zion  and  Jerusalem  denote  the  church 
as  it  has  existed  and  now  exists  in  the  world.  From 
Zion  and  Jerusalem  the  word  of  God  is  to  be  sent 
abroad  among  the  nations,  and  the  consequence  is 
their  conversion  to  God  —  an  evident  prediction  of 
the  present  exertions  of  the  church,  by  her  Bible 
societies,  to  send  the  word  of  God  into  all  the  earth. 
"  And  many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come  ye,  and  let 
us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of 
the  God  of  Jacob ;  and  he  will  teach  us  his  ways,  and 
we  will  walk  in  his  paths ;  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go 
forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusa 
lem."  (Isaiah  ii.  2—4.) 

In  Isaiah  xi.  6 — 9,  we  find  this  prediction  of  the 
church's  prosperity  :  "  The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with 
the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid  j 


280  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  to 
gether  ;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them.  And  the 
cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed  j  their  young  ones  shall  lie 
down  together :  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the 
ox.  Arid  the  sucking  child  shall  play 'on  the  hole  of 
the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the 
cockatrice's  den  ;  they  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all 
my  holy  mountain  :  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

"Violence  shall  no  more  be  heard  in  thy  land, 
wasting  nor  destruction  within  thy  borders  ;  but  thou 
shalt  call  thy  walls  salvation,  and  thy  gates  praise. 
The  sun  shall  be  no  more  thy  light  by  day  ;  neither 
for  brightness  shall  the  moon  give  light  unto  thee  : 
but  the  Lord  shall  be  unto  thee  an  everlasting  light, 
and  thy  God  thy  glory.  Thy  sun  shall  no  more  go 
down;  neither  shall  thy  moon  withdraw  itself:  for 
the  Lord  shall  be  thy  everlasting  light,  and  the  days 
of  thy  mourning  shall  be  ended.  Thy  people  also 
shall  be  all  righteous :  they  shall  inherit  the  land  for 
ever,  the  branch  of  my  planting,  the  work  of  my  hand, 
that  I  may  be  glorified.  A  little  one  shall  become  a 
thousand,  and  a  small  one  a  strong  nation  :  I  the  Lord 
will  hasten  it  in  his  time."  (Isaiah  Ix.  18 — 22.) 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  from  one  new  moon 
to  another,  and  from  one  Sabbath  to  another,  shall 
all  flesh  come  to  worship  before  me,  saith  the  Lord." 
(Isaiah  Ixvi.  23.) 

"And  they  shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his 
neighbor,  and  every  man  his  brother,  saying,  Know 
ye  the  Lord  :  for  they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the 
least  of  them  unto  the  greatest  of  them,  saith  the 
Lord  :  for  I  will  forgive  their  iniquity,  and  I  will 
remember  their  sin  no  more."  (Jer.  xxxi.  34.) 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  281 

"And  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven, 
having  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  a  great  chain 
in  his  hand.  And  he  laid  hold  on  the  dragon,  that  old 
serpent,  which  is  the  devil,  and  satan,  and  bound  him 
a  thousand  years,  and  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit, 
and  shut  him  up,  and  set  a  seal  upon  him,  that  he 
should  deceive  the  nations  no  more,  till  the  thousand 
years  should  be  fulfilled;  and  after  that  he  must  be 
loosed  a  little  season.  And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they 
sat  upon  them,  and  judgment  was  given  unto  them  : 
and  I  saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for 
the  witness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and 
which  had  not  worshipped  the  beast,  neither  his 
image,  neither  had  received  his  mark  upon  their  fore 
heads  or  in  their  hands ;  and  they  lived  and  reigned 
with  Christ  a  thousand  years.  But  the  rest  of  the 
dead  lived  not  again  until  the  thousand  years  were 
finished.  This  is  the  first  resurrection.  Blessed  and 
holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection  :  on 
such  the  second  death  hath  no  power ;  but  they  shall 
be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign  with 
him  a  thousand  years."  (Rev.  xx.  1 — 6.) 

On  these  passages,  I  would  remark,  first,  that  they 
clearly  teach,  not  only  that  the  church  shall  enjoy  a 
season  of  unusual  prosperity,  but  that  every  individual 
shall  be  converted  to  God.  For  if  any,  even  the 
smallest  number,  remained  in  rebellion,  all  would  not 
know  the  Lord.  There  would  still  be  need  for  one  to 
teach  another,  and  there  would  be  some  to  hurt  and 
destroy  in  God's  holy  mountain.  It  is  plain,  then, 
that  in  the  day  of  millennial  glory,  there  will  not  be 
found,  in  the  wide  world,  a  solitary  child  of  Adam  but 
shall  love  and  serve  the  Lord. 
24* 


282  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Secondly.  This  prosperity  of  the  church  shall  con 
tinue  a  very  long  season  —  a  thousand  years,  says 
the  apostle.  It  is  well  known  that,  in  prophecy,  each 
day  stands  for  a.  year.  Daniel's  seventy  weeks  are  to 
be  thus  interpreted.  The  forty-two  months,  twelve 
hundred  and  sixty  days,  of  Antichrist's  reign,  are  thus 
understood.  And  surely  the  one  thousand  years  of 
Christ's  reign  on  earth  should  be  interpreted  by  the 
same  rule  —  three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  years, 
in  which  righteousness  shall  be  triumphant,  and  holi 
ness  to  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth. 

But  how  shall  these  things  come  to  pass  ?  In  what 
way  shall  the  whole  earth  be  converted  to  God  ? 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  evident  that  the  reason  why 
the  whole  earth  will  then  embrace  the  gospel,  is  not 
because  unsanctified  human  nature  will  gradually  grow 
better,  and  the  tone  of  depravity  abate,  until  all  men 
will  fall  in  with  that  gospel  which  the  majority  has 
hitherto  rejected.  There  is  no  evidence  whatever,  in 
Scripture,  that  as  the  world  grows  older,  the  rancor  of 
man's  hostility  to  God  is  diminished.  The  reverse  is 
rather  intimated.  The  Amorites,  in  the  days  of 
Joshua,  were  more  wicked  than  the  Amorites  in  the 
days  of  Abraham.  Their  "  iniquity  was  full."  When 
Jesus  Christ  was  on  the  earth,  in  the  cities  of  Bethsaida, 
Chorazin,  and  Capernaum,  vice  had  grown  to  gigantic 
stature,  such  as  it  had  never  attained  in  Tyre  or  Sidon, 
Sodom  or  Gomorrah.  The  carnal  mind  is  as  perfect 
enmity  against  God  now  as  it  was  on  the  first  day 
after  the  fall.  It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  the  conver 
sion  of  the  world  will  not  take  place  in  consequence 
of  any  abatement  in  the  tone  of  man's  natural  de 
pravity. 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  283 

Secondly.  We  may  remark,  that  the  millennium  will 
not  take  place  by  reason  of  the  gospel  growing  better, 
and  holding  out  stronger  inducements  for  sinners  to 
embrace  it.  The  gospel,  in  the  days  of  Christ,  was 
the  same  that  it  now  is.  It  will  continue  the  same  to 
the  end  of  the  world.  Like  its  Author,  it  is  "  without 
variableness  or  shadow  of  turning."  In  all  ages,  it 
unfolds  the  same  divine  character,  offers  the  same 
Savior  to  a  lost  world,  brings  to  light  the  same  immor 
tality,  tells  of  the  same  heaven,  the  same  hell,  and 
points  to  the  same  judgment  bar.  And  in  that  day 
when  all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God,  it  will  be 
found  that  they  have  all  closed  in  with  that  very 
gospel  which  the  nations  for  many  ages  past  have 
neglected  and  despised. 

Thirdly.  The  reason  why  all  hearts  shall  fall  in 
with  the  gospel  in  the  latter  day,  is  not  because  the 
gospel  will  then  be  better  preached  than  it  had  ever 
been  before.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  heralds 
of  salvation  will  then  possess  much  higher  qualifica 
tion  for  their  work  than  they  now  do.  But  this  is  not 
the  chief  reason  why  every  heart  will  then  bow  to 
God.  There  was  once  a  Preacher  on  earth  who  far 
surpassed  any  who  will  appear  during  the  millennium. 
"  Never  man  spake  like  Jesus  Christ."  Never  man  will 
speak  like  him.  Those  who  sat  under  his  sermons 
"  were  astonished  at  his  doctrine,"  and  "  wondered  at 
the  gracious  words  that  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth." 
Yet,  instead  of  giving  him  their  hearts,  they  assailed 
him  with  insult  and  violence  ;  they  crowned  him  with 
thorns,  and  stained  the  summit  of  Calvary  with  his 
blood. 

Thus  we  find  that  the  heart  of  man  has  stood  out 


284  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

against    the    gospel    when    it    was    more    powerfully 
preached  than   it  will  be   during  the   millennium. 

How,  then,  shall  all  hearts  be  subdued  ?  This  day 
will  be  preceded  by  tremendous  and  desolating  judg 
ments.  Hear  the  language  of  Isaiah,  ii.  10 — 21 : 
"  Enter  into  the  rock,  and  hide  thee  in  the  dust,  for 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory  of  his  majesty.  The 
lofty  looks  of  man  shall  be  humbled,  and  the  haughti 
ness  of  men  shall  be  bowed  down,  and  the  Lord  alone 
shall  be  exalted  in  that  day.  For  the  day  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts  shall  be  upon  every  one  that  is  proud 
arid  lofty,  and  upon  every  one  that  is  lifted  up ;  and 
he  shall  be  brought  low ;  and  upon  all  the  cedars  of 
Lebanon,  that  are  high  and  lifted  up,  and  upon  all  the 
oaks  of  Bashan,  and  upon  all  the  high  mountains,  and 
upon  all  the  hills  that  are  lifted  up,  and  upon  every 
high  tower,  and  upon  every  fenced  wall,  and  upon  all 
the  ships  of  Tarshish,  and  upon  all  pleasant  pictures. 
And  the  loftiness  of  man  shall  be  bowed  down,  and 
the  haughtiness  of  men  shall  be  made  low :  and  the 
Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  that  day.  And  the 
idols  he  shall  utterly  abolish.  And  they  shall  go  into 
the  holes  of  the  rocks,  and  into  the  caves  of  the  earth, 
for  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory  of  his  majesty, 
when  he  ariseth  to  shake  terribly  the  earth.  In  that 
day,  a  man  shall  cast  his  idols  of  silver,  and  his  idols 
of  gold,  which  they  made  each  one  for  himself  to 
worship,  to  the  moles  and  to  the  bats  ;  to  go  into  the 
clefts  of  the  rocks,  and  into  the  tops  of  the  ragged 
rocks,  for  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory  of  his 
majesty,  when  he  ariseth  to  shake  terribly  the  earth." 
Isa.  Ixvi.  15,  16  :  "  For  behold,  the  Lord  will  come 
with  fire,  and  with  his  chariots  like  a  whirlwind,  to 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  285 

render  his  anger  with  fury,  and  his  rebuke  with  flames 
of  fire.  For  by  fire  and  by  his  sword  will  the  Lord 
plead  with  all  flesh :  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  many."  But  judgments  alone  never  did,  and  never 
will,  turn  sinners  from  the  error  of  their  ways.  Judg 
ments  destroy,  but  are  insufficient  to  convert  sinners 
to  God.  The  "  balm  of  Gilead  "  alone  can  heal  the 
diseases  of  the  soul.  And  all  nations  will  be  turned 
to  God,  by  the  omnipotent  energies  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
applying  to  their  hearts  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  With 
out  this,  all  the  Bibles,  and  Sabbaths,  and  sermons, 
with  which  a  sinner  can  be  favored,  produce  no  saving 
effect.  The  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  at  the  millenni 
um,  will  be  converted  just  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
three  thousand  were  on  the  day  of  pentecost  —  by  the 
powerful  operation  of  the  spirit  of  grace.  When  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out,  more  souls  were  brought 
to  God,  under  one  sermon  of  Peter,  than  had  been 
converted  during  three  and  a  half  years  by  the  preach 
ing  of  Him  who  "  spake  as  never  man  spake ;  "  and 
doubtless  God  designed  this  remarkable  fact  to  teach 
the  world  that  the  most  advantageous  means,  without 
the  special  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  would  avail 
nothing. 

Sinners,  in  the  latter  day,  will  all  be  turned  to  God, 
just  in  the  same  manner  that  Paul  was.  His  heart 
was  in  high  rebellion  ;  but  the  Spirit  of  God  overtook 
him,  the  enmity  of  his  proud  spirit  was  broken  down, 
and  he  cast  himself  at  the  feet  of  that  Savior  whom 
before  he  had  blasphemed.  When  the  Savior  was  on 
earth,  he  often  said,  "  Many  are  called,  but  few  chosen." 
That  is,  many  hear  the  general  invitation  of  the  gospel, 
but  few,  comparatively,  have  their  hearts  subdued.  It 


286  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

was  so  in  that  day.  But  it  will  be  far  otherwise  when 
the  "  new  Jerusalem  shall  come  down  from  God  out 
of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  hus 
band  j  "  for  then  the  converting  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  shall  come  down  on  every  heart.  "  They  shall 
be  all  taught  of  God."  "  The  Lord  will  make  bare 
his  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  nations,  and  all  the  ends 
of  the  earth  shall  see  his  salvation."  (Isaiah  lii.  10.) 

There  is  a  notable  fact,  which  the  prophets  have 
testified  of  this  day,  to  which  I  would  now  call  your 
attention.  All  Christians  shall  then  "  see  eye  to  eye." 
They  will  all  understand  the  Bible  alike.  There  will 
not  then  be  such  a  variety  of  dialects  in  the  "  language 
of  Canaan  "  as  there  now  is  ;  but  all  the  disciples  of 
Jesus  will  most  cordially  agree  respecting  the  grand 
system  of  doctrines  taught  in  his  word.  Isaiah  says, 
"  The  watchmen  shall  lift  up  their  voice ;  with  the 
voice  together  shall  they  sing ;  for  they  shall  see  eye 
to  eye."  Jehovah  says,  "  They  shall  be  my  people, 
and  I  will  be  their  God ;  and  I  will  give  them  one 
heart,  and  one  way,  that  they  may  fear  me  forever." 
And  not  only  so,  but  the  truths  of  the  gospel  shall 
then  be  seen  with  uncommon  clearness.  "  The  light 
of  the  moon  shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the 
light  of  the  sun  shall  be  sevenfold."  All  the  doc 
trines  of  the  gospel  shall  then  stand  out,  in  bold  relief, 
with  amazing  brightness,  in  the  view  of  all  nations. 

Let  us  now  pause,  for  a  moment,  and  notice  some 
of  the  great  gospel  doctrines  which  the  people  in  the 
millennial  day,  from  the  very  circumstances  in  which 
they  are  placed,  must  see  with  peculiar  clearness. 

1.  The  doctrine  of  God's  absolute  sovereignty  :  that 
he  gives  his  favors  when  and  where  he  pleases  ;  that 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  287 

none  of  Adam's  race  have  the  least  claim  to  a  single 
crumb  of  his  mercy  j  and  that  he  has  a  right  to  do 
just  what  he  pleases  with  his  own ;  and  that  no  man 
on  earth  has  a  right  to  dispute  his  awful  will,  or  say 
unto  him.  What  doest  thou  ?  In  the  present  and  past 
dark  ages  of  the  church,  many  have  opposed  this  doc 
trine,  and  contended  that,  if  it  be  true,  the  conduct  of 
God  towards  men  is  partial  and  unjust,  as  he  does 
more  for  some  than  he  does  for  others  ;  but  in  the  days 
of  the  millennium,  this  doctrine  will  be  clearly  seen, 
and  universally  acknowledged ;  for  they  shall  all  see 
eye  to  eye.  They  will  see  that  God  has  done  for  them 
what  he  never  did  for  any  other  people,  since  the  day 
he  created  man  upon  the  earth.  He  has  come  down 
among  them  with  power  and  great  glory,  and  has 
turned  every  heart  from  sin  to  holiness,  and  brought 
every  human  being  from  Satan  to  God.  And  while 
the  Bible  tells  them  that  God  conferred  favors  on  Abra 
ham  and  his  family  above  the  antediluvians,  and  dis 
tinguished  Israel  above  the  nations  around  them,  and 
performed  works  in  Chorazin,  Bethsaida,  and  Caper 
naum,  beyond  any  thing  that  was  ever  known  in 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  the  people  of  the  millennium 
will  see  and  feel  that  God  has  distinguished  them, 
above  all  people  that  ever  lived  upon  the  earth.  They 
will  admire  the  sovereign,  distinguishing  grace  of 
God  ;  and  every  heart  will  joyfully  adopt  the  language 
of  the  Savior,  "  Even  so,  Father  j  for  so  it  seemed 
good  in  thy  sight." 

2.  The  doctrine  of  effectual  calling,  or  that  sinners 
are  converted  to  God  by  the  special  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  will  be  seen,  and  universally  acknowl 
edged,  by  the  people  of  the  millennium.  They  will 


288  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

see  how  the  dispensations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  their 
day  differ  from  what  they  were  during  the  ministry 
of  Jesus  Christ,  when  "  many  were  called,  but  few 
chosen."  For  now,  behold  !  kings  have  become  nurs 
ing-fathers,,  and  queens  nursing-mothers,  to  the  church. 
They  will  know  that  the  "  king's  heart  is  in  the  hand 
of  the  Lord :  as  the  rivers  of  water,  he  turneth  it 
whithersoever  he  pleaseth  j  "  and  that  "it  is  the  Lord  " 
that  hath  turned  the  hearts  of  kings  and  queens  to 
righteousness.  And  when  they  see  piety  prevailing 
among  all  classes  of  men,  from  the  least  to  the  great 
est,  they  will  not  conclude  that  the  glorious  change  has 
taken  place  just  because  all  men,  at  the  same  time, 
happened  to  take  a  notion  to  make  a  good  use  of  their 
self-determining  power.  No  ;  they  will  ascribe  it  to 
God  •  they  will  confess  it  is  the  "  Lord's  doing,  and 
marvellous  in  our  eyes  ;  "  and  they  will  unite  with  the 
holy  Psalmist  in  saying,  "  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not 
unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name,"  be  all  the  glory. 

3,  There  is  a  doctrine  plainly  taught  in  the  Bible, 
which,  in  the  past  dark  ages  of  the  Christian  church, 
and  even  in  the  present  age,  has  received  much  unkind 
treatment  ;  but  in  the  days  of  the  millennium  it  will 
be  "  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  ex 
alted  above  the  hills  ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto 
it."  I  mean  the  doctrine  of  God's  determinate  counsel 
—  his  eternal  purposes.  Many  professors  of  religion 
have  an  idea  that  there  is  something  very  dreadful  in 
the  doctrine  of  God's  immutable  decrees.  They  be 
lieve  in  foreknowledge ;  but  speak  not  of  God  acting 
now  —  "  according  to  the  eternal  purpose  which  he 
purposed  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord ;  "  say  not  that  "  his 
counsel  shall  stand ;  "  that  he  "  worketh  all  things 
after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will." 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  289 

But  when  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover 
the  whole  earth,  this  subject  will  stand  in  a  clearer 
light.  The  people  of  that  day  will  have  before  their 
eyes  the  happy  results  of  God's  operations  for  thou 
sands  of  years.  They  will  look  around  them,  and  see 
that  what  he  promised  many  ages  before,  he  has  now 
fulfilled.  They  will  look  into  the  holy  book  ;  and 
they  will  see  that  God  had  not  only  foretold  that  there 
should  be  a  day  of  millennial  glory,  but  had  promised 
that  he  himself  would  britfg  it  about.  "  I  the  Lord 
will  hasten  it  in  his  time."  They  will  believe  in  God's 
foreknowledge ;  but  their  belief  will  go  further.  They 
will  see  that  the  Lord  not  only  foresaw  there  would  be 
a  millennium,  but  that  from  the  beginning  it  had  been 
his  determinate  purpose  to  grant  his  church  this  blessed 
day ;  that,  thousands  of  years  ago,  he  had  revealed  his 
design  to  "build  up  Z ion,  and  appear  in  his  glory," 
when  "  the  set  time  to  favor  her  is  come."  (Ps.  cii. 
15.)  They  will  hear  a  voice  proceeding  from  the  holy 
oracles,  "  The  Lord  of  hosts  hath  sworn,  saying,  Surely 
as  I  have  thought,  so  shall  it  come  to  pass  ;  and  as  I 
have  purposed,  so  shall  it  stand.  This  is  the  purpose 
that  is  purposed  upon  the  whole  earth  ;  and  this  is  the 
hand  that  is  stretched  out  upon  all  the  nations.  For 
the  Lord  of  Hosts  hath  purposed,  and  who  shall  dis 
annul  it  ?  And  his  hand  is  stretched  out,  and  who 
shall  turn  it  back  ?  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else. 
I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  like  me  ;  declaring  the 
end  from  the  beginning,  and  from  ancient  times  the 
things  that  are  not  yet  done,  saying,  My  counsel  shall 
stand,  and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure."  (Isa.  xiv.  24, 
26,  27,  and  Isa.  xlvi.  9.  10.)  The  people  of  the  mil 
lennial  day  will  hear  this  from  the  sacred  book.  They 
25 


290  TH^!    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

will  see  the  glory  of  the  church  around  them  ;  and 
with  the  venerable  old  apostle  they  will  exclaim,  "  O 
the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowl 
edge  of  God  !  "  And  earth  will  roll  back  the  anthem 
that  comes  down  from  heaven,  "  We  give  thee  thanks, 
O  Lord  God  Almighty,  who  art,  and  wast,  and  art  to 
come  ;  because  thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great  power, 
and  hast  reigned."  (Rev.  xi.  17.) 

4.  The  doctrine  of  the  perseverance  of  the  saints  in 
holiness  will  then  be  understood  and  acknowledged  by 
all  "  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people  "  under  heaven." 
In  the  present  state  of  the  church,  the  wheat  and  the 
tares  grow  together.  Many  assume  the  badge  of 
Christianity  from  base  motives,  mingle  a  while  among 
the  children  of  God,  and  then  turn  back  to  the  world. 
This  has  led  some  well-meaning  people  to  conclude 
that  real  saints  sometimes  fall  from  grace,  and  perish. 
But  in  the  days  of  the  millennium  this  mistake  will 
be  corrected.  There  will  then  be  no  hypocrites  in  the 
church.  "  All  shall  know  the  Lord,  from  the  least  to 
the  greatest."  And  there  will  be  no  apostasies  ;  for 
every  soul  will  be  the  subject  of  genuine  conversion. 
It  is  plain  that  the  doctrine  of  "  falling  from  grace," 
however  numerous  its  advocates  may  now  be,  will  be 
utterly  exploded  by  all  nations  during  the  long  periods 
of  the  millennium  ;  for  if  any  should  fall  from  grace, 
then  all  would  not  "  know  the  Lord."  There  would 
still  be  need  for  "  one  to  teach  another,"  and  there 
would  be  some  to  "  hurt  and  destroy  in  God's  holy 
mountain."  These  apostates  would  be  very  trouble 
some  —  the  very  kind  of  people  to  create  disturbance. 
But  there  shall  be  none.  Perfect  peace,  and  undis 
turbed  tranquillity,  shall  prevail  through  all  God's  holy 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  291 

mountain.  Thus  we  see  that,  when  Jesus  shall  come 
to  reign  in  our  world,  the  doctrine  of  falling  from  grace 
shall  "  flee  away,  and  no  place  be  found  for  it." 

5.  The  harmony  between  the  agency  of  God  and 
the  agency  of  man  will  be  much  better  understood  by 
the  people  during  the  millennium,  than  it  has  been  in 
ages  past.  Many  excellent  men  have  been  greatly  in 
the  dark  on  this  subject.  They  have  supposed  that 
God  cannot  convert  all  sinners,  without  destroying 
their  free  agency,  and  turning  them  into  machines  ; 
and  this  they  think  is  the  great  reason  why  God  has 
not  converted  all  sinners  long  ago.  They  have  also 
maintained  that  God  cannot  keep  all  saints  from  fall 
ing  from  grace,  without  destroying  their  free  agency, 
and  turning  them  into  machines.  This  is  one  of  the 
main  pillars  on  which  they  build  their  doctrine  of 
falling  from  grace.  But  when  the  "  light  of  the  moon 
shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the  light  of  the 
sun  shall  be  sevenfold,"  all  the  people  of  that  day 
will  see  that,  however  devout  and  useful  in  other 
respects  the  advocates  of  the  above  opinions  may  have 
been,  yet  on  those  points  they  were  sadly  mistaken. 
They  will  see  that  God  has,  in  fact,  come  down  among 
them,  in  the  powerful  influences  of  his  Spirit,  and 
subdued  the  heart  of  every  sinner.  The  loftiness  of 
man  is  bowed  down,  and  the  haughtiness  of  man  is 
made  low,  and  the  Lord  alone  is  exalted.  All  flesh 
see  his  glory,  and  rejoice  in  his  love  ;  and  yet  not 
a  man  on  earth  has  lost  his  free  agency  —  not  one  has 
been  turned  into  a  machine.  And  as  age  after  age 
rolls  by,  they  will  see  that  all  saints  persevere  in  holi 
ness  —  none  fall  from  grace  —  "  all  are  kept  by  the 
power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation  ;  "  yet  no 


292  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

saint  is  turned  into  a  machine,  but  all  retain  their  free 
agency.  Thus  they  will  see  that  their  brethren,  who, 
in  former  ages,  contended  so  stoutly  for  the  foregoing 
opinions,  were  altogether  mistaken ;  and  that  the  light 
which  they  thought  they  had  on  these  points  was 
darkness. 

Now,  it  is  just  as  evident  that  the  system  of  doc 
trines  at  which  I  have  glanced  is  the  system  that  will 
be  received,  and  rejoiced  in,  during  the  millennium,  as 
it  is  that  that  glorious  day  will  come.  Indeed,  the 
fact  itself,  that  a  day  is  coming  when  the  church  shall 
be  blessed  with  a  period  of  millennial  glory,  furnishes 
incontestable  proof  of  the  doctrines  I  have  mentioned  ; 
for  on  no  other  plan  can  such  a  day  be  reasonably 
expected.  Destroy  these  doctrines,  and  you  destroy 
the  only  foundation  on  which  the  church  can  build 
her  hope  that  Jesus  shall  yet  fill  the  whole  earth  with 
his  glory.  Deny  the  doctrine  of  God's  immutable 
purposes ;  say  that  he  has  no  "  set  time  to  favor  Zion  j  " 
say  that  he  as  much  designed  to  convert  and  save  all 
men,  in  ages  that  are  past,  when  but  few  were  con 
verted,  as  he  does  in  any  ages  that  are  yet  to  come, 
—  and  how  is  the  whole  earth  to  be  converted  ?  Deny 
the  doctrine  of  effectual  calling  ;  say  that  God  has 
already  done  all  that  he  can  do,  consistently  with  man's 
free  agency,  to  convert  and  save  all  men ;  and  that  his 
Spirit  will  take  no  mightier  method  to  subdue  the 
hearts  of  all  sinners  hereafter,  than  he  has  taken  al 
ready,  —  and  I  ask,  how  are  all  hearts  to  be  turned  to 
God  ?  We  have  seen  that  the  tone  of  enmity  in  the 
carnal  heart  will  not  abate.  We  have  seen  that  the 
gospel  will  undergo  no  change  —  will  hold  out  no 
stronger  inducements  to  sinners.  We  have  seen  that 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  293 

the  gospel  will  not  be  preached  better  in  time  to  come, 
than  it  was  when  multitudes  despised  it.  Where,  then, 
is  the  hope  of  the  church,  that  all  nations  shall  learn 
righteousness,  and  the  saving  knowledge  of  .God  shall 
cover  the  earth  ?  It  is  lost.  Yes,  it  is  lost ;  and  it 
never  can  be  found,  till  you  come  back  to  those  grand 
doctrines  of  revelation  we  have  mentioned,  and  ac 
knowledge  that  the  bright  period  of  Z ion's  triumph  is 
certain  j  because  God,  in  his  counsels,  has  determined 
it.  It  will  come  ;  because  "  the  Lord  will  hasten  it  in 
his  time,"  "  according  to  the  eternal  purpose  which  he 
purposed  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

In  like  manner,  reject  the  doctrine  of  the  persever 
ance  of  the  saints  ;  deny  that  the  great  Shepherd  of 
Israel  "  keeps  "  every  converted  soul,  "  by  his  power, 
through  faith,  unto  salvation  ;  "  and  where  can  there 
be  any  certainty  that,  through  the  long  periods  of 
Christ's  reign  on  earth,  "  there  shall  be  none  to  hurt 
or  destroy  in  all  his  holy  mountain  "  ? 

Thus  you  clearly  see  that  the  fact  that  God  will,  at 
his  "  set  time,"  make  his  church  triumphant  in  all  the 
earth,  furnishes  incontestable  proof  of  those  precious 
doctrines  which  have  "been  every  where  spoken 
against." 

REFLECTIONS. 

1.  This  subject  shows  us  that  God's  ways  are  higher 
than  our  ways,  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the 
earth.  We  would  have  thought  it  best  that  the  mil 
lennium  should  have  been  introduced  immediately 
after  the  fall  of  man ;  and  that  the  career  of  human 
wickedness,  and  the  reign  of  Satan,  should  have  been 
as  short  as  possible.  God  could  have  bound  Satan 
25* 


294  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

then,  and  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  con 
verted  the  world,  as  easily  as  at  the  day  he  has 
appointed ;  but  he  did  not.  He  is  acting  for  the  uni 
verse,  and  acting  for  eternity.  He  is  doing  that  which 
he  sees  best  on  the  whole,  taking  into  view  the  whole 
extent  of  his  dominions,  and  the  whole  duration  of 
his  reign.  He  has  seen  it  best  that  mankind  should 
be  taught  by  experience  what  is  in  their  revolted 
hearts,  that  they  may  know  how  much  they  are  in 
debted  to  God  for  his  redeeming  mercy.  It  is  a  divine 
maxim,  that  to  whom  much  is  forgiven,  the  same  will 
love  much;  but  to  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same 
will  love  little  ;  and  just  in  the  same  degree  that  men 
are  acquainted  with  their  depravity,  will  be  their  grati 
tude  to  God  for  redemption.  Had  God  led  the  Israel 
ites  directly  from  Egypt  to  Canaan,  which  was  but  a 
few  days'  journey,  they  would  never  have  known  that 
such  wickedness  was  in  their  hearts  as  they  acted  out 
when  God  "  proved  them,  and  tried  them,  forty  years 
in  the  wilderness."  God  knew  all  this  before  ;  but  he 
took  this  course,  that  they  might  know  it  too,  and  be 
come  acquainted  with  themselves.  And  had  he  intro 
duced  the  millennium  immediately  after  the  fall  of 
man,  it  never  would  have  been  known  to  saints  on 
earth  —  it  never  would  have  been  known  to  glorified 
spirits  in  heaven  —  how  deep  and  how  dreadful  the 
depravity  into  which  man  has  fallen.  It  would  have 
been  known  to  God  and  to  him  only ;  but  from 
created  beings  he  never  would  have  received  all  the 
honor  to  which  he  is  entitled  for  man's  redemption. 
He  chose  a  different  plan.  Soon  after  the  fall,  he  gave 
a  single  intimation  that  he  would  be  merciful  to  peni 
tent  and  returning  sinners.  But  how  did  men  treat 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  295 

it  ?  Did  they  hail  with  joy  the  prospect  of  reconcilia 
tion  to  God  ?  Did  they,  with  one  heart,  follow  this 
beam  of  light,  that  had  come  to  our  dark  world,  to  the 
mercy  seat  from  which  it  issued  ?  No.  Proud  in  his 
rebellion,  and  pleased  with  his  distance  from  God,  man 
turned  away  in  scorn  from  the  proffers  of  pardon. 
"  All  flesh  corrupted  his  way."  "  The  wickedness  of 
man  was  great  in  the  earth,"  and  "  every  imagination 
of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only  evil  continu 
ally."  Thus  matters  went  on  for  more  than  two 
thousand  years. 

In  the  days  of  Abraham,  God  gave  a  further  devel 
opment  of  his  gracious  designs.  The  nations  paid  no 
attention  to  it,  but  with  madness  pursued  every  folly 
and  every  abomination.  Arid  thus  four  hundred  and 
thirty  years  rolled  by.  Then  God  came  down  on  Mount 
Sinai,  proclaimed  his  law,  and  gave  numerous  institu 
tions,  most  significant  and  impressive,  all  pointing  to 
the  great  Messiah  as  the  only  hope  of  a  lost  world. 
But  it  made  no  impression  on  the  nations.  Not  one 
of  them  forsook  idolatry,  and  turned  to  God  for  the 
hope  of  redemption.  And  even  Israel,  who  heard 
God's  thunder,  and  saw  his  lightning,  at  Sinai,  were 
with  difficulty  restrained  from  casting  away  the  oracles 
of  God,  and  plunging  into  all  the  abominations  of  the 
heathen.  Thus  matters  stood  for  fifteen  hundred 
years.  He  then  sent  his  Son  into  the  world.  "  Sure 
ly  they  will  reverence  my  Son."  But  they  cried, 
"  Away  with  him  from  the  earth  !  Crucify  him,  crucify 
him ! "  And  now  he  has  caused  the  light  of  the 
gospel  to  shine  upon  our  world  for  near  two  thousand 
years  ;  and  how  have  mankind  acted  ?  How  have  they 
chosen  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  lusts  of  the  eye,  and 


296  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  pride  of  life,  in  preference  to  communion  and 
fellowship  with  God,  and  the  joys  of  his  holy  king 
dom  !  Thus  mankind  have  been  proved  and  tried 
in  a  great  variety  of  circumstances,  and  have  shown 
their  deep-rooted  hostility  to  God,  and  their  determi 
nation  that  he  shall  not  rule  over  them.  An  impres 
sion  is  made  far  and  wide  through  the  universe,  how 
deeply  they  deserve  eternal  banishment  from  God,  and 
from  glory.  It  is  a  history  that  will  never  be  forgot 
ten  while  immortality  endures.  And  now,  when 
God's  "  set  time  to  favor  Zion "  is  come,  and  he 
shall  cause  every  heart  to  bow,  and  wave  the  banner 
of  salvation  over  every  tribe,  and  kingdom,  and  people 
on  our  globe,  the  pride  of  man  will  be  stained  ;  heaven 
and  earth  will  acknowledge  that  it  is  the  work  of  the 
Lord.  No  flesh  shall  dare  to  glory  in  his  presence. 
But,  as  it  is  written,  "  He  that  glorieth,  let  him  glory 
in  the  Lord." 

Blessed  Jesus  !  thou  shalt  see  the  travail  of  thy  soul, 
and  shalt  be  satisfied.  But  O,  what  a  day  of  salva 
tion  !  what  a  renovated  world  !  —  Holiness  to  the  Lord 
inscribed  on  every  object  ;  all  classes  of  men,  from 
the  least  to  the  greatest,  clothed  with  righteousness ; 
fervent  piety  in  every  heart ;  anthems  of  praise  ascend 
ing  from  every  habitation.  The  young  man  con 
secrates  to  God  the  morning  of  life  ;  the  aged  man 
worships,  leaning  on  the  top  of  his  staff;  and  children 
stretch  their  little  hands  to  heaven,  arid  cry,  "  Hosanna 
to  the  Son  of  David." 

2.  And  now,  my  Christian  friends,  what  encourage 
ment  does  this  subject  impart  to  you,  to  be  active  and 
energetic  in  your  efforts  to  advance  the  cause  of  your 
Redeemer  !  God  carries  forward  his  cause  in  the 


THE    MILLENNIUM.  297 

world  by  human  instrumentality.  Thus  he  grants  to 
us  the  high  privilege  of  being  "  workers  together  with 
God,"  in  advancing  the  interest  of  his  kingdom,  and 
the  glory  of  his  great  name.  And  what  a  privilege  is 
this  !  Look  at  the  old  soldier  who  fought  by  the  side 
of  Washington,  when  our  country  was  struggling  for 
liberty ;  see  him  now  surrounded  by  his  children  and 
his  children's  children,  casting  an  eye  of  admiration 
over  this  great,  this  highly-favored  nation ;  and  how 
does  his  heart  swell  with  rapture  inexpressible,  when 
he  reflects,  "  Under  the  direction  of  the  God  of  battles, 
my  exertions  contributed  to  procure  these  blessings ; 
these  hands  had  an  agency  in  raising  my  country  to 
happiness  and  glory  "  ! 

Now,  King  Eternal  is  building  up  a  kingdom, 
which,  in  importance,  surpasses  all  earthly  kingdoms, 
as  far  as  eternity  surpasses  time.  And  in  advancing 
this  great  cause,  he  employs  the  agency  of  rulers  and 
subjects,  ministers  and  people,  husbands  and  wives, 
parents  and  children.  He  employs  the  agency  of  all 
who  love  him.  And  what  a  privilege  is  it  to  be  em 
ployed  in  such  a  cause  !  And  when  the  Leader  of  the 
armies  of  Israel  has  put  down  all  opposition,  and 
filled  the  whole  earth  with  his  glory,  what  holy  rapture 
will  possess  the  hearts  of  all  who  have  fought  under 
his  banner  !  And  O,  how  the  plains  of  immortality 
will  resound  with  Alleluia !  Alleluia  !  when  Moses, 
and  Isaiah,  and  Daniel,  and  all  the  old  soldiers  that 
fought,  and  bled,  and  died  in  the  service  of  King  Im- 
manuel,  look  down  from  heaven,  and  see  that  the  cause 
of  their  Master  is  triumphant,  and  "  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  have  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord 
and  of  his  Christ."  Christian,  do  you  desire  to  have  a 


298  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

part  in  the  rejoicings  of  that  day?  Then  consecrate 
all  your  powers  to  the  service  of  Jesus,  and  he  will 
give  you  "  a  crown  of  life  that  fadeth  not  away." 

3.  When  the  Redeemer  has  finished  his  reign  on 
earth,  a  scene  of  the  deepest  interest  will  ensue.  He 
will  cause  the  graves  to  open,  and  all  that  sleep  in 
the  dust  of  the  earth  to  come  forth ;  he  will  separate 
the  righteous  from  the  wicked  ;  he  will  call  the  angels 
of  God  to  draw  near ;  he  will  summon  the  inhabitants 
of  every  world  he  has  formed  to  approach  and  witness 
his  proceedings.  All  his  conduct  towards  the  human 
family,  from  the  day  that  Adam  was  created  till  the 
judgment  trump  was  blown,  he  will  cause  to  pass  in 
review  before  the  assembled  universe.  The  wisdom 
and  holiness,  the  mercy  and  truth,  the  perfection  and 
beauty  of  all  his  dealings  with  the  children  of  men, 
will  stand  out  in  the  light  of  eternity ;  and  from  the 
countless  throng  of  holy  beings  will  burst  the  accla 
mation,  "  Amen  !  Alleluia  !  " 

Then,  before  he  pronounces  on  the  impenitent  the 
irrevocable  sentence,  he  will  cause  all  the  treatment 
he  has  received  from  them  to  pass  in  review  before  the 
vast  assembly  —  the  conduct  of  those  who  set  at 
nought  and  sold  him,  pierced  and  nailed  him  to  the 
tree ;  the  quibbles  of  infidels  who  denied  his  truth, 
and  labored  to  falsify  his  word  ;  the  "  hard  speeches  " 
which  bold  blasphemers  had  spoken  against  him  ;  the 
deep-laid  schemes  to  injure  his  cause  and  destroy  his 
kingdom  ;  each  guilty  soul,  on  the  left  hand  of  the 
Judge,  will  see  his  most  secret  crimes,  and  his  long- 
forgotten  acts  of  impiety,  rising  in  dark  array  before 
the  eyes  of  the  immense  assembly.  O  Daniel !  is  this 
the  "  shame  and  everlasting  contempt  "  foretold  by 


.%  THE    MILLENNIUM.  299 

thee  ?  Lord  Jesus,  is  this  the  "  resurrection  of  dam 
nation  "  ?  Unthinking  traveller  to  eternity,  is  it  in 
view  of  this,  that  Jesus  warns  you  to  "  prepare  to  meet 
your  God  "  ?  Is  it  in  view  of  this,  that  he  entreats 
you  to  "  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come "  ?  Careless 
sinner,  you  came  from  God,  and  to  God  you  are  going  j 
from  his  presence  there  is  no  escape.  "  If  you  ascend 
into  heaven,  he  is  there  ;  if  you  make  your  bed  in  hell, 
behold,  he  is  there."  You  are  going  to  meet  him  ;  O, 
how  unprepared  !  Yet  meet  him  you  must ;  the  grave 
cannot  hide  you  ;  rocks  and  mountains  cannot  cover 
you  ;  death  and  hell  can  furnish  no  hiding-place  from 
God.  And  yet  you  may  meet  him  in  mercy.  O,  look 
to  Calvary !  Who  is  that,  with  the  nail-prints  in  his 
hands,  and  the  spear-wound  in  his  side  ?  It  is  Jesus, 
who  died  for  sinners.  Escape  for  your  life  to  him,  in 
whom  alone  there  is  redemption. 

Impenitent  man,  what  you  do  must  be  done  quickly  : 
you  stand  on  critical  ground ;  you  live  in  a  most 
eventful  age.  Look  abroad  through  the  earth,  and 
behold  the  footsteps  of  the  Almighty.  The  arm  of 
the  Lord  is  awake.  He  is  sweeping  the  nations  and 
shaking  the  earth.  Your  father  never  saw  a  day  like 
this.  God's  purposes  are  ripening  fast ;  his  church  is 
fast  filling  up.  Soon  the  door  will  be  shut.  God  lifts 
his  hand  to  heaven,  and  declares  he  "will  make  a  short 
work  in  the  earth."  The  sinner  that  will  not  bow  he 
will  "  kill  with  death."  The  soul  that  will  not  surren 
der  he  will  consume  with  the  "  breath  of  his  mouth,  and 
the  brightness  of  his  coming."  Already  you  have  trifled 
with  his  mercy  long  ;  already  the  cry  of  your  sins 
has  gone  up  before  God  ;  already  the  tempest  is  gath 
ering  ;  the  dark  cloud  is  seen,  and  the  distant  thunder 


300  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

is  heard.  But  you  are  not  yet  lost.  There  is  yet 
within  your  view,  on  the  mediatorial  throne,  "  one 
like  unto  the  Son  of  man."  See,  round  about  his  head 
is  the  rainbow  of  mercy,  in  token  that  as  yet  the  storm 
is  stayed.  Delay  not  a  moment.  Fly  to  Jesus,  and 
your  soul  shall  live. 


BEL    AND    NEBO.  301 


BEL    AND    NEBO. 


A  WESTERN  gentleman,  of  wealth  and  respectability, 
said  to  a  clergyman  of  his  acquaintance,  "  There  are 
portions  of  the  Bible  that  seem  to  me  to  have  little  or 
no  meaning.  Can  I  believe  that  such  passages  are  a 
part  of  the  inspired  word  of  God  ?  " 

"  Please  mention  the  passages  to  which  you  refer," 
said  the  clergyman. 

"  One  of  them,"  answered  the  gentleman,  "  is  found 
in  the  commencement  of  the  forty-sixth  chapter  of 
Isaiah.  It  runs  thus  :  '  Bel  boweth  down,  Nebo  stoop- 
eth ;  their  idols  were  upon  the  beasts,  and  upon  the 
cattle  :  your  carriages  were  heavy  loaden  ;  they  are  a 
burden  to  the  weary  beast.  They  stoop ;  they  bow 
down  together ;  they  could  not  deliver  the  burden,  but 
themselves  are  gone  into  captivity.'  I  can  see  no 
meaning  in  this  passage." 

"  Shall  I  give  you  a  brief  exposition,  which  I  think 
will  render  the  text  plain  and  interesting  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  gratified  to  hear  you,"  added  the  gen 
tleman. 

"  Observe,  then,"  said  the  minister,  "  that  Bel  and 
Nebo  were  the  two  principal  idols  of  Babylon.  Their 
kings  and  heroes  often  bear  names  and  titles  in  which 
there  is  a  reference  to  these  notable  idols,  as  J3eMiazzar, 
Nebuchadnezzar,  Nebuzaradan,  &c.  They  had,  it  is 
26 


302  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

true,  other  inferior  deities,  which  they  worshipped  ; 
but  Bel  and  Nebo  were  the  great  chiefs  among  their 
imaginary  gods.  The  kings  of  Babylon  had  been  a 
dreadful  scourge  to  the  surrounding  nations.  They 
had  slaughtered  their  population  ;  they  had  plundered 
their  temples  and  their  treasuries,  arid  had  carried  all 
the  wealth  which  they  could  thus  collect  to  Babylon. 
And  the  glory  of  these  conquests  they  ascribed  to  Bel 
and  Nebo.  When  they  were  about  engaging  in  some 
important  military  expedition,  they  invoked  the  aid 
and  benediction  of  Bel  and  Nebo  ;  and  when  their 
incursion  into  a  neighboring  nation  had  been  successful, 
they  crowded  the  temples  of  Bel  and  Nebo,  and  offered 
sacrifices  of  thanksgiving,  and  paid  to  these  idols  the 
most  costly  honors.  At  length,  the  king  of  Babylon 
invaded  Judea.  As  he  made  war  under  the  patronage 
of  Bel  and  Nebo,  the  conclusion  was,  that,  whenever 
he  conquered,  these  idols  of  Babylon  had  proved  too 
mighty  for  the  god  of  the  conquered  people.  When 
Jerusalem  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  king  of  Babylon, 
these  idolaters  did  not  wish  to  believe  the  truth.  They 
did  not  wish  to  believe  that  Israel  were  smitten  for 
their  sins  against  God.  They  loved  darkness.  They 
loved  to  believe  a  lie.  They  exulted  in  the  oppor 
tunity  of  blazing  abroad,  that  now  the  idols  of  Baby 
lon  had  proved  too  strong  for  the  God  of  Israel.  The 
city  called  by  his  name  was  destroyed.  The  beautiful 
house  built  for  his  praise  was  burned  with  fire  j  and 
his  people  were  carried  into  captivity.  And  now  they 
devised  honors  for  their  favorite  idol  beyond  all  parallel. 
The  king,  the  princes,  and  the  people,  all  combine. 
1  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  made  an  image  of  gold, 
whose  height  was  threescore  cubits,  and  the  breadth 


BEL    AND    NEBO.  303 

thereof  six  cubits:  he  set  if  up  in  the  plain  of  Dura, 
in  the  province  of  Babylon.  Then  Nebuchadnezzar 
the  king  sent  to  gather  together  the  princes,  the  gov 
ernors,  and  the  captains,  the  judges,  the  treasurers,  the 
counsellors,  the  sheriffs,  and  all  the  rulers  of  the  prov 
inces,  to  come  to  the  dedication  of  the  image  which 
Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  had  set  up.  Then  the 
princes,  the  governors,  and  captains,  the  judges,  the 
treasurers,  the  counsellors,  the  sheriffs,  and  all  the 
rulers  of  the  provinces,  were  gathered  together  unto 
the  dedication  of  the  image  that  Nebuchadezzar  the 
king  had  set  up  ;  and  they  stood  before  the  image  that 
Nebuchadnezzar  had  set  up.  Then  a  herald  cried 
aloud,  To  you  it  is  commanded,  O  people,  nations,  and 
languages,  that  at  what  time  ye  hear  the  sound  of  the 
cornet,  flute,  harp,  sackbut,  psaltery,  dulcimer,  and  all 
kinds  of  music,  ye  fall  down,  and  worship  the  golden 
image  that  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  hath  set  up.  And 
whoso  falleth  not  down,  and  worshippeth,  shall  the 
same  hour  be  cast  into  the  midst  of  a  burning,  fiery 
furnace.'  (Daniel  iii.  1 — 6.)  Such  were  the  honors 
publicly  given  to  Bel,  after  Jerusalem  had  fallen  before 
the  armies  of  Babylon.  And  the  honors  given  to  Nebo 
were  scarcely  inferior.  Long  ago,  these  idolaters  had 
heard  the  fame  of  the  God  of  Israel  —  the  wonders 
wrought  in  Egypt,  at  the  Red  Sea,  and  in  the  wilder 
ness.  They  had  trembled  in  dread  of  the  power  of 
Jehovah.  But  now  his  worshippers  are  vanquished, 
and  carried  into  captivity.  His  temple  is  destroyed  ; 
and  the  land  called  by  his  name  is  made  a  desolation. 
Their  exultation  is  unbounded ;  and  invention  is  tor 
tured  for  methods  to  give  demonstrations  of  their  joy. 
And  now  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  comes  before  them, 


304  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

that  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  will  accomplish  the 
downfall  of  Babylon.  'Behold,  I  will  stir  up  the 
Medes  against  them,  which  shall  not  regard  silver ;  and 
as  for  gold,  they  shall  not  delight  in  it.'  <  And  Baby 
lon,  the  glory  of  kingdoms,  the  beauty  of  the  Chaldees' 
excellency,  shall  be  as  when  God  overthrew  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah.  It  shall  never  be  inhabited,  neither 
shall  it  be  dwelt  in  from  generation  to  generation : 
neither  shall  the  Arabian  pitch  tent  there  ;  neither 
shall  the  shepherds  make  their  fold  there  ;  but  wild 
beasts  of  the  desert  shall  lie  there  ;  and  their  houses 
shall  be  full  of  doleful  creatures  ;  and  owls  shall  dwell 
there,  and  satyrs  shall  dance  there.  And  the  wild 
beasts  of  the  islands  shall  cry  in  their  desolate  houses, 
and  dragons  in  their  pleasant  palaces  j  and  her  time  is 
near  to  come,  and  her  days  shall  not  be  prolonged.' 
(Isaiah  xiii.  17,  19 — 22.)  In  the  forty-fifth  chapter, 
the  prophet  goes  into  particulars,  and  gives  specifica 
tions  concerning  the  destruction  of  Babylon. 

"  1.  Cyrus,  the  Persian,  shall  command  the  conquer 
ing  enemy,  (v.  1.) 

"  2.  Cyrus,  though  a  heathen,  unacquainted  with 
the  true  religion,  is  called  to  this  great  work  by  the 
God  of  Israel,  (v.  4,  5.) 

"  3.  God  will  { open  before  him  the  two-leaved 
gates,  and  the  gates  shall  not  be  shut,'  (v.  1.) 

"  4.  The  l  treasures  and  hidden  riches  of  Babylon 
shall  be  given  to  him,'  (v.  3.) 

"  5.  He  shall  i  let  go  the  captive  Jews.' 

"  6.  l  Not  for  price  nor  reward  ; '  that  is,  he  shall 
not  demand  a  ransom,  (v.  13.) 

"  7.  He  shall  rebuild  Jerusalem. 

"  8.  <  And  rebuild  the  temple,'  (chap.  xliv.  28.) 


BEL    AND    NEBO.  305 

"But  the  Babylonian  unbeliever  demands,  •  Where 
is  Bel  —  where  is  Nebo  —  while  this  destruction  is 
coming  on  their  favorite  city  ?  Where  are  those  power 
ful  gods  of  Babylon,  that  have  dashed  the  nations  in 
pieces  before  her  conquering  armies?  Such  an  over 
throw  of  Babylon  is  incredible,  while  she  is  upheld  by 
Bel  and  Nebo.'  The  prophet  replies,  '  The  Medes 
and  Persians  will  pull  down  these  senseless  images, 
and  break  them  to  pieces,  and  put  the  metal  of  which 
they  are  composed  on  mules  and  pack-horses,  and  into 
carriages,  and  bear  it  away  to  Persia.'  '  Bel  boweth 
down,  Nebo  stoopeth  ;  their  idols  were  upon  the  beasts 
and  upon  the  cattle  :  your  carriages  were  heavy  loaden  ; 
they  are  a  burden  to  the  weary  beast.  They  stoop, 
they  bow  down  together  j  they  could  not  deliver  the 
burden,  but  themselves  are  gone  into  captivity.'  (Isaiah 
xlvi.  1,  2.)" 

The  effect  of  this  exposition  on  the  mind  of  the 
gentleman  who  introduced  the  discussion  I  have  not 
the  means  of  knowing.  The  elucidation  of  the  text 
is  inserted  here,  with  the  hope  that  it  may  prove  ac 
ceptable  to  the  readers  of  the  "  Western  Sketch-Book." 
26* 


306  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 


EXPOSITION    OF    SCRIPTURE. 


"  And  there  are  also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the 
which,  if  they  should  be  written  every  one,  I  suppose  that  even  the 
world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books  that  should  be  written." 
(John  xxi.  25.) 

THE  plain  Christian  reads  this  assertion  of  the  apos 
tle  in  much  astonishment.  No  declaration  in  the  New 
Testament  appears  to  him  more  mysterious  and  strange  ; 
and,  after  reviewing  it  again  and  again,  he  finds  him 
self  utterly  unable  to  form  even  a  plausible  conjecture 
of  what  the  inspired  writer  intended.  He  could  not 
mean  to  assert  that  if  every  one  of  the  things  which 
Jesus  did  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples,  before  his 
death  and  after  his  resurrection,  were  committed  to 
writing,  the  number  and  size  of  the  books  would  be  so 
great  that  there  would  not  be  in  the  world  itself,  or  in 
the  whole  world,  room  enough  to  contain  them ;  and 
yet  this  seems  to  be  the  direct  import  of  the  language 
employed.  After  many  fruitless  efforts  to  extract  the 
apostle's  meaning,  he  leaves  the  passage  in  despair, 
deeply  regretting  that,  to  his  mind,  "  shadows,  clouds, 
and  darkness  rest  upon  it." 

Eisner,  one  of  the  most  famous  of  European  critics, 
explains  this  text  as  if  the  apostle  had  said,  "  If  all  the 
works  that  Jesus  did  were  recorded,  the  unbelieving 
world  would  not  admit  them,  so  as  to  be  moved  by 


EXPOSITION    OF    SCRIPTURE.  307 

them  to  faith  and  obedience."  But  the  sacred  writer 
well  knew  that  unbelievers  would  scoff  and  reject 
what  he  had  written.  This,  therefore,  could  not  be 
assigned  as  a  reason  for  his  not  writing  more. 

"  God  is  his  own  interpreter."  Many  parts  of  his 
holy  book,  which  at  first  are  difficult  of  comprehension, 
become  perfectly  plain  when  compared  with  the  events 
of  his  providence.  After  the  apostles  had  witnessed 
the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  had  a  much 
clearer  understanding  of  the  Old  Testament  predic 
tions  concerning  him  than  the  prophets  had,  by  whom 
those  predictions  were  uttered.  (1  Pet.  i.  10 — 12.) 
And  many  things  which  Christ  did  and  said  were  at 
first  unintelligible  to  the  disciples ;  but  after  his  resur 
rection,  they  were  clear  as  the  light  of  heaven.  Ac 
cordingly,  we  read,  (John  xii.  16,)  "These  things 
understood  not  his  disciples  at  the  first :  but  when 
Jesus  was  glorified,  then  remembered  they  that  these 
things  were  written  of  him,  and  that  they  had  done 
these  things  unto  him." 

In  like  manner,  the  Christian  who  now  attentively 
surveys  what  the  Lord  is  doing  for  the  advancement 
of  his  church,  will  be  enabled  to  understand  declara 
tions  contained  in  his  word,  which,  a  few  ages  back, 
were  shrouded  in  impenetrable  obscurity.  The  Lamb 
is  opening  seal  after  seal,  and  as  he  moves  forward, 
"  conquering  and  to  conquer,"  the  light  of  revealed 
truth  will  shine  upon  our  dark  world  more  and  morfe, 
until  the  perfect  millennial  day.  The  passage  under 
consideration  is  one  of  this  description  ;  it  can  be  more 
fully  comprehended  now  than  in  any  former  age. 
But  it  must  be  remarked,  that  the  Greek  word  which 
in  the  text  is  translated  contain,  more  properly  signifies 


308  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

to  receive;  the  best  Greek  lexicons  render  it  thus, 
^wpT]tfai,  recipere,  to  receive.  "  The  world  itself,"  or 
"the  whole  world,  could  not  receive  the  books  that 
should  be  written."  God  designed  that  the  inspired 
record  of  the  doctrines,  and  miracles,  and  death  of 
Jesus  Christ  should  be  put  into  the  hands  of  the 
whole  world,  as  an  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  prac 
tice.  He  mentioned  this,  by  the  mouth  of  Isaiah, 
as  taking  place  in  order  to  the  conversion  of  all 
nations.  "  Out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and 
the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem."  His  Omnipo 
tent  Spirit  is  now  arousing  the  Christian  church  to 
the  mighty  enterprise  ;  already  the  holy  book  is 
spreading  among  the  nations  with  unexampled  rapidi 
ty  ;  already  the  benighted  tribes  of  Europe,  Africa, 
Asia,  and  America,  begin  to  feel  its  amazing  influ 
ence  ;  already,  in  large  and  populous  districts,  every 
family  has  been  visited  and  supplied  with  the  sacred 
oracles.  Nor  shall  the  glorious  work  stop  until  every 
kindred  and  people  under  heaven  read,  in  their  own 
tongue,  wherein  they  were  born,  "  the  wonderful  works 
of  God." 

But  says  the  apostle,  if  all  the  things  which 
Jesus  said  and  did  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples  had 
been  written  in  the  inspired  book,  "  I  suppose  that  the 
whole  world  could  not  receive  the  books  that  should 
be  written."  No.  It  would  have  swelled  the  sacred 
writings  to  an  extent  too  great ;  it  would  have  been 
impracticable  to  have  put  the  whole  human  family  in 
possession  of  them,  and  thus  fill  the  earth  with  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord.  The  spirit  of  inspiration, 
therefore,  chose  only  to  record  so  much  as  is  necessary 
for  the  salvation  of  souls.  "  These  are  written,  that 


EXPOSITION    OF    SCRIPTURE.  309 

ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God  ;  and  that  believing,  ye  might  have  life  through 
his  name."  And  when  the  redeemed  soul  enters  eter 
nity,  a  part  of  the  delightful  employment  of  that 
heavenly  world  will  be  to  hear  from  our  blessed  Lord 
himself,  and  from  those  who  conversed  with  him  while 
on  earth,  many  other  particulars  of  his  life,  which  will 
be  worthy  of  everlasting  admiration. 


310  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK, 


A   VISION 


I  PURSUED  my  way  over  a  desolate  and  uninhabited 
land.  The  sun,  "  rejoicing  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a 
race,"  rushed  through  a  clear  sky  up  to  his  midday 
throne,  and  flooded  "hill,  and  dale,  and  mountain- 
peak  "  with  the  profusion  of  his  radiance.  Silence, 
profound  and  wide,  reigned  over  the  mighty  landscape, 
save  when  the  doe  bleated  to  her  fawn,  or  the  proud 
eagle,  wheeling  in  airy  circles  on  high,  screamed  to  his 
distant  mate.  In  every  land,  Nature  has  her  grandeur, 
and  her  loveliness ;  and  yet  God  has  made  nothing  in 
vain.  The  language  of  inspiration  is  as  applicable  to 
those  objects  which  constitute  the  furniture  of  the 
wilderness,  as  to  those  that  "  garnish  the  heavens." 
"  For  his  glory  they  are  and  were  created."  It  is  only 
in  relation  to  man  that  the  beautiful  sentiment  of  Mr. 
Gray  is  correct  — 

"  Full  many  a  gem,  of  purest  ray  serene, 

The  dark,  unfathomed  caves  of  ocean  bear ; 
Full  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air." 

Who  can  think  of  the  full-blown  rose  on  the  lonely 
hill ;  the  wild  apple-tree  in  the  solitary  glen,  sustaining 
its  pyramid  of  flowers,  and  enriching  the  air  with  its 
perfumes  ;  the  unvisited  solitude  of  the  mountain  cas- 


A    VISION.  311 


cade,  with  its  ceaseless  music,  which  man  sees  not, 
hears  not ;  —  who,  in  short,  can  think  of  the  wonders 
of  earth,  and  the  wonders  of  ocean,  which,  to  Adam's 
children,  seem  to  exist  in  vain,  without  being  forced 
to  the  conclusion,  that  our  world  rolls  in  the  view  of 
other  intellectual  beings  than  those  of  the  human 
family  ? 

;'  Millions  of  spiritual  creatures  walk  the  earth 
Unseen,  both  when  we  wake  and  when  we  sleep." 

God's  work  of  creation,  as  well  as  his  work  of  re 
demption,  contains  countless  "  things  which  the  angels 
desire  to  look  into." 

As  the  evening  approached,  I  perceived  before  me  a 
remarkable  eminence.  Its  elevation  was  great,  and 
the  summit  was  crowned  with  a  lofty  grove  of  ma 
jestic  cedars.  The  cedar  is  much  celebrated  in  the 
sacred  writings.  It  is  an  evergreen.  The  winter 
comes ;  but  "  its  leaf  does  not  wither."  Fit  emblem 
of  the  child  of  God !  "  He  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in 
Lebanon."  (Ps.  xcii.  12.)  The  student  of  the  Bible 
cannot  look  on  the  noble  cedar  without  interesting 
associations.  As  I  fixed  my  eyes  on  the  stately  grove, 
I  thought  of  the  beautiful  imagery  employed  by  the 
church,  when  describing  her  beloved  —  "  His  coun 
tenance  is  as  Lebanon,  excellent  as  the  cedars."  I 
remembered  the  prayer  of  Moses  —  "I  beseech  thee 
let  me  go  over  and  see  the  good  land  that  is  beyond 
Jordan,  and  that  goodly  mountain,  Lebanon." 

The  ascent  was  arduous  and  long.  At  length,  how 
ever,  I  found  myself  in  the  bosom  of  the  venerable 
grove.  The  spot  was  lovely  beyond  description.  At 
the  foot  of  a  rock,  gray  with  years,  bubbled  a  little 


312  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

fountain,  whose  stream,  skirted  with  green,  rippled 
along  in  search  of  the  valley  below.  The  evening 
breeze  had  just  strength  enough  to  whisper  among  the 
branches,  which  acknowledged  its  presence  by  their 
gentle  and  graceful  undulations.  On  every  hand,  the 
prospect  was  wide  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Meanwhile 
the  sun  sank  behind  the  distant  blue  horizon  j  but 
scarcely  had  Night  begun  to  spread  her  dark  mantle 
over  the  earth,  when,  ascending  in  the  east,  a  broad, 
bright  moon  appeared,  to  cheer  the  world  her  Creator 
made,  I  felt  the  inspiration  of  the  scene  and  the  hour. 
"  Surely,"  I  exclaimed,  in  a  transport  of  enthusiasm 
— "  surely,  when  ministering  spirits  take  their  flight 
from  the  throne  of  God  on  errands  of  love  to  our 
guilty  world,  it  is  here  they  first  alight  ;  and  from  this 
eminence  they  take  a  joyful  survey  of  the  magnificent 
works  of  the  Almighty,  before  their  sight  is  offended 
with  a  view  of  the  vileness  and  impiety  of  man." 

It  was  an  hour  for  devotion.  After  praising  the 
name  of  Him  whose  "  kingdom  ruleth  over  all,"  and 
commending  myself  to  his  mercy  through  the  merits 
of  the  divine  Redeemer,  I  fell  into  a  train  of  reflec 
tions  concerning  the  church  of  God.  The  strength  of 
early  impressions  is  wonderful.  Through  every  period 
of  our  life,  when  we  begin  to  meditate  on  divine  things, 
how  will  the  scenes  of  early  youth,  the  period  of  our 
first  strong  religious  excitement,  present  themselves 
before  us  in  all  their  freshness  and  force,  until  some 
times  we  can  scarcely  realize  that  they  belong  to  "  the 
days  of  other  years  "  !  How  often  in  the  book  of 
Psalms  do  we  find  David  celebrating  the  lovirig-kind- 
ness  of  the  Lord  which  visited  him  when  young  !  and 
how  sweet  are  the  lines  in  which  Addison  commem- 


A    VISION.  313 


orates  the  goodness  and  mercy  which  crowned  the 
morning  of  his  life  ! 

The  scenes  which  now  recurred  to  my  mind  were 
those  of  the  first  great  western  revival,  which  trans 
pired  when  I  was  but  a  child.  Those  ministers  whom 
we  now  see  entering  the  pulpit  old  and  gray-headed, 
were  then  vigorous  and  young ;  and  many  others  were 
then  active  who  now  "  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their 
works  follow  them."  I  remembered  the  preaching  of 
Ramsay,  and  Lapsley,  and  Witherspoon.  Departed 
brethren,  we  have  not  forgotten  you.  While  your 
souls  rejoice  in  glory,  your  names  and  your  memory 
are  affectionately  cherished  among  your  brethren  on 
earth.  Yes,  I  remembered  the  day  when  Joseph  B. 
Lapsley  stood,  in  the  name  of  his  Redeemer,  before 
the  immense  congregation,  while  with  one  hand  he 
pointed  to  Mount  Sinai,  wrapped  in  smoke,  and  flashing 
out  the  terrors  of  a  violated  law,  and  with  the  other  to 
Calvary,  bathed  in  tears,  drenched  with  blood*,  and 
echoing  the  groans  of  the  dying  Savior.  How  deep 
and  awful  was  the  religious  solemnity  of  that  period 
throughout  the  western  country !  Individuals,  and 
even  whole  families,  would  travel  thirty,  forty,  and 
fifty  miles,  to  attend  a  sacramental  occasion.  No  house 
could  contain  the  multitudes  that  convened  ;  but  the 
people  took  their  seats  on  the  ground,  or  on  logs  of 
wood,  in  the  open  air  ;  and  the  minister  stood  before 
them,  having  the  earth  for  his  pulpit,  and  the  heaven 
for  his  sounding-board,  praying  sinners,  in  "  Christ's 
stead,  to  be  reconciled  to  God." 

This  extraordinary  religious  awakening  gave  rise  to 
the  camp-meetings  of  the  west.  The  vast  crowds  that 
assembled  found  it  impracticable  to  obtain  accommoda- 
27 


314  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

tions  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  places  of  worship ; 
and  as  sacramental  meetings  were  continued  for  four, 
five,  and  six  days,  it  was  found  best  for  families  at  a 
distance,  who  wished  to  attend,  to  corne  in  their  wag 
ons,  bringing  with  them  provisions  and  bedding,  and 
camp  on  the  ground.  Thus  the  worship  was  con 
tinued  day  and  night,  except  during  the  hours  necessary 
for  repose.  The  strong  religious  impression  of  the 
time  imparted  its  influence  to  all  the  exercises  of 
public  and  private  devotion.  Ministers  preached  for 
eternity !  '  Christians  prayed  as  if  indeed  they  were 
entreating  the  Lord  to  redeem  their  souls  from  hell, 
and  to_fill  the  whole  earth  with  his  glory  ;  and  when 
the  congregation  took  up  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion, 
they  sung  as  if  in  truth  they  were  praising  the  ever 
lasting  God  for  sending  his  Son  to  redeem  them  from 
the  second  death,  —  as  if  in  truth  they  were  attuning 
their  voices  for  the  employments  of  heaven.  While 
musing  on  this  pleasing  and  affecting  subject,  the  long- 
departed  scene  came  up  distinctly  in  the  view  of  my 
mind;  —  the  extended  encampment,  the  mighty  con 
gregation  assembled  for  evening  worship.  Night  was 
around  them ;  but  the  darkness  was  dissipated  by 
quantities  of  rich  pine,  piled  on  elevated  hearths, 
which,  from  all  sides  of  the  encampment,  sent  its 
broad,  bright  flame  on  high.  And  I  seemed  once 
more  to  hear  a  thousand  glad  voices,  animated  by  the 
hope  of  glory,  chanting  that  delightful  hymn  which 
my  childhood  so  ardently  admired  :  — 

"  Now,  « Glory  to  God  m  the  highest'  is  given ; 
Now,  '  Glory  to  God '  is  reechoed  through  heaven  ; 
Around  the  whole  earth  let  us  tell  the  glad  story, 
And  sing  of  his  love,  his  salvation,  and  gloty. 


A    VISION.  315 


Hallelujah  to  the  Lamb,  who  has  purchased  our  pardon  ! 
We'll  praise  him  again  when  we  pass  over  Jordan. 

"  O  Jesus,  ride  on !  thy  kingdom  is  glorious  ; 
O'er  sin,  death,  and  hell  tliou  wilt  make  us  victorious ; 
Thy  name  shall  be  praised  in  the  great  congregation, 
And  the  saints  shall  delight  in  ascribing  salvation. 

Hallelujah  to  the  Lamb,  who  has  purchased  our  pardon! 

We'll  praise  him  again  when  we  pass  over  Jordan. 

"  Enraptured  I  burn  with  delight  and  desire ; 
Such  love,  so  divine,  sets  my  soul  all  on  fire  ; 
Around  the  bright  throne  loud  hosannas  are  ringing : 
O,  when  shall  I  join  them,  and  be  ever  singing, 

Hallelujah  to  the  Lamb,  who  has  purchased  our  pardon ! 

We'll  praise  him  again  when  we  pass  over  Jordan  ? 

"  When  on  Zion  we  stand,  having  gained  the  blest  shore, 
With  our  harps  in  our  hand,  we  will  praise  evermore  ; 
We'll  range  the  blest  fields  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
And  sing  hallelujah  forever  and  ever. 

Hallelujah  to  the  Lamb,  who  has  purchased  our  pardon ! 

We'll  praise  him  again  when  we  pass  over  Jordan." 

Scarcely  could  I  refrain  from  attempting  to  join  my 
voice  with  that  of  the  congregation  of  other  years,  as 
these  charming  verses  passed  through  my  mind  ;  so 
strong,  and  so  enchanting,  is  that  power  of  the  soul 
by  which  it  calls  up  from  the  grave  departed  days  of 
delight. 

At  length,  sleep,  which  refreshes  our  weary  bodies 
and  our  care-worn  minds,  came  down  with  its  balmy 
influence  ;  but  its  dominion  was  soon  overcome  by 
notes  of  the  most  surprising  and  heavenly  melody. 
"  Shepherds  of  Bethlehem,"  thought  I,  "  surely  these 
are  the  delicious  and  ravishing  strains  that  fell  upon 
your  ears  when  angels  came  down  and  sang  the  advent 
of  the  blessed  Redeemer !  "  The  music  ceased  ;  but 


316  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

instantly  I  perceived,  at  a  little  distance,  a  splendid 
circle  of  light,  so  brilliant  and  dazzling  as  almost  to 
overcome  the  powers  of  vision.  For  a  moment,  the 
eye  could  discern  nothing  distinctly  within  the  lumi 
nous  space ;  but  presently  it  was  easy  to  perceive 

"Forms,  clad  in  peerless  majesty, 
Move  with  unutterable  grace." 

It  would  be  vain  to  attempt  description ;  for  there  is 
no  language  understood  among  mortals  capable  of 
describing  them.  The  heavenly  lustre  in  which  they 
are  arrayed  can  only  be  told  in  the  dialect  of  that 
world  where  they  dwell.  As  I  gazed  on  these  celestial 
beings,  I  thought  of  the  epithets  applied  to  them 
by  prophets  and  apostles  —  "  Angels  that  excel  in 
strength,"  "  strong  angels,"  "angels  of  God,"  "  mighty 
angels,"  "  angels  of  glory,"  "  an  angel  having  power 
over  fire,"  "  an  angel  standing  in  the  sun."  I  remem 
bered,  also,  that  the  beloved  disciple  was  so  affected 
with  the  resplendent  glory  of  that  heavenly  visitant 
that  came  to  him  in  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  that  he  was 
once  and  again  in  danger  of  paying  him  divine  adora 
tion.  "  When  I  had  heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down  to 
worship  before  the  feet  of  the  angel  which  showed  me 
these  things.  Then  said  he  unto  me,  See  thou  do  it 
not ;  for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant,  and  of  thy  brethren 
the  prophets,  and  of  them  which  keep  the  sayings  of 
this  book.  Worship  God." 

In  a  little  time  they  were  seated,  and  the  accents 
of  familiar  conversation  were  distinctly  audible.  On 
drawing  near  to  hear  the  subject  of  discourse,  it  was 
easy  to  distinguish  the  well-known  names  of  Raphael, 
Uriel,  Abdiel,  &c.,  &c. 


A    VISION.  317 


"  Raphael,"  said  a  voice  of  the  most  seraphic  sweet 
ness  and  harmony,  "  though  we  are  all  <  ministering 
spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  the 
heirs  of  salvation,'  yet  as  '  there  is  one  glory  of  the 
sun,  and  another  glory  of  the  moon,  and  another  glory 
of  the  stars,  and  one  star  differeth  from  another  in 
glory,'  so  among  angelic  minds  there  is  a  like  variety 
of  capacity  and  powers.  God  has  said  that  when  he 
1  created  all  things  by  Jesus  Christ,'  it  was  his  intention 
to  make  his  e  manifold  wisdom  known  to  principalities 
and  powers  in  heavenly  places  by  the  church.'  Now, 
though  we  have  all  been  employed  in  the  service  of 
the  church,  where  God  is  unfolding  his  uncreated  attri 
butes,  yet  as  our  capacities  are  various,  as  our  errands 
and  fields  of  labor  have  often  been  different,  it  will  be 
profitable  and  delightful  should  we  spend  a  portion 
of  this  fine  evening  in  familiar  converse,  each  detail 
ing  what  he  has  seen  of  the  dealings  of  God  with 
man." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  Raphael,  while  his  deep, 
melodious  tones  caused  me  to  think  of 

"David's  harp,  of  solemn  sound"  — 

"  with  all  my  heart ;  for  not  only  have  our  employ 
ments  and  fields  of  action  been  various,  but  created 
minds  being  limited  in  their  observation,  no  one,  at 
first,  sees  a  fact  in  all  its  bearings  and  relations.  Even 
the  holy  apostles,  when  recording  the  sufferings  and 
death  of  the  Son  of  God,  do  not  dwell  invariably  on 
the  same  circumstances.  One  instructive  view  of  the 
great  transaction  is  taken  by  Matthew,  another  by  John, 
another  by  Luke,  and  another  by  Mark.  It  is  by  taking 
the  united  testimony  of  these  inspired  witnesses,  that 
27* 


318  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  broad,  full  view  of  that  stupendous  miracle  of 
redeeming  mercy  is  placed  before  the  world." 

Seraph.  Thy  ministry,  Raphael,  has  usually  been 
about  those  saints,  and  in  those  sections,  of  the  church 
where  the  light  of  revelation  shone  most  clearly. 
Rehearse,  then,  in  our  hearing,  what  thou  hast  seen 
of  the  wonderful  works  of  God,  as  displayed  in  the 
history  of  man. 

Raphael.  I  was  often  commissioned  to  visit  the 
earthly  paradise  while  man  was  innocent  and  holy. 
He  was  the  admiration  of  angels ;  for  he  was  created 
in  the  image  of  God.  Divinely  constituted  lord  of 
this  lower  world,  his  condition  was  truly  blessed.  He 
walked  abroad  in  immortal  vigor,  his  beautiful  partner 
by  his  side,  arrayed  in  the  perfection  of  terrestrial  love 
liness,  beholding  the  impress  of  their  Maker  in  every 
object,  and  holding  uninterrupted  fellowship  and  com 
munion  with  the  Fountain  of  love  and  joy.  Smoothly 
and  sweetly  these  hours  rolled  on,  while  their  evening 
and  morning  anthems  of  praise  went  up  as  pure  incense 
to  heaven.  I  had  been  abroad  on  an  appointed  service, 
and  returned  immediately  after  the  first  transgression. 
O,  it  was  enough  to  make  angels  weep,  to  behold  how 
the  scene  was  changed  !  Deep  gloom  hung  over  the 
bowers  of  Eden.  The  tokens  of  Jehovah's  presence 
were  there  ;  but  they  were  tokens  of  wrath  and 
offended  majesty.  I  looked  for  the  parents  of  the 
human  race  ;  but  they  were  not  to  be  found.  At 
length,  stained  with  guilt,  pale,  and  trembling  with 
terror,  I  discovered  them  hid  among  the  trees  of  the 
garden.  At  that  moment,  they  were  startled  with  the 
awful  question,  "  Adam,  where  art  thou  ?  "  The 
beasts  shrunk  to  the  ground,  the  birds  of  paradise 


A    VISION.  319 


screamed  and  fled,  the  trees  shook,  and  the  earth  trem 
bled  at  the  voice  of  the  Almighty.  But  —  praise  the 
Lord,  ye  heavens  of  heavens,  and  thou,  eternity,  be 
filled  with  his  praise  — mercy  was  mingled  with  right 
eousness  in  the  sentence  pronounced  on  man.  The 
great  Redeemer  was  promised,  who,  in  the  fulness  of 
time,  should  bring  life  and  immortality  to  the  ruined 
race.  The  sentence,  however,  included  the  death  and 
dissolution  of  the  body,  and  their  expulsion  from  the 
garden  the  Lord  had  given  them.  Never  shall  I  forget 
the  speechless  anguish  that  appeared  in  the  counte 
nance  of  the  mother  of  the  human  family,  when  first 
told  she  must  leave  forever  her  happy  home.  She  cast 
one  troubled,  despairing  look  over  the  beautiful  walks, 
bright  flowers,  and  fruits  of  the  garden,  while  fast, 
fast,  the  bitter  tears  streamed  over  her  cheeks  ;  then 
convulsively  clinging  to  the  arm  of  her  husband,  they 
were  driven  out  from  Eden.  The  cherubim  took 
possession  of  the  gate,  and  a  flaming  sword,  which 
turned  every  way,  prohibited  all  return. 

As  redemption  was  promised  to  man,  through  the 
mediation  of  the  Son  of  God,  I  took  a  lively  interest 
in  the  destiny  of  Adam  after  his  banishment  from 
paradise.  Little  was  then  known  by  man  or  angels 
concerning  the  plan  of  redeeming  love.  God  designed 
that  light  on  the  moral  world  should  arise  in  a  manner 
somewhat  analogous  to  that  of  the  natural  day  —  first 
the  solitary  beam,  struggling  through  the  darkness  ; 
then  the  distinctly  visible  dawn  ;  then  the  rising  sun  ; 
then  his  upward  march,  "  shining  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day."  But  the  little  of  revealed  truth  then 
made  known  was  embraced  by  the  parents  of  man 
kind.  Their  faith  in  the  promised  Messiah  was  strong, 


320  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

though  they  did  not  fully  understand  the  manner  in 
which  he  would  atone  for  sin.  Though  they  had 
obtained  pardon  of  God,  yet  they  could  never  forgive 
themselves  for  having  introduced  sin  and  death  into 
the  world.  Like  Peter,  in  after  ages,  who  never  could 
hear  a  cock  crow  without  bursting  into  tears  at  the 
remembrance  of  having  denied  his  Master,  so  they, 
throughout  their  long  life,  when  they  saw  among  their 
descendants  any  case  of  aggravated  crime, — and  they 
lived  to  see  many,  —  or  any  affecting  instance  of 
death,  perpetually  recurred  to  their  first  apostasy,  and 
reproached  and  humbled  themselves  before  God,  for 
having  brought  rebellion  and  ruin  among  their  chil 
dren.  Earth  was  to  them  a  "  vale  of  tears ;  "  but 
their  sufferings  were  sanctified,  and  as  they  advanced 
in  age,  they  ripened  for  heaven. 

There  was  a  circumstance  in  the  history  of  Adam 
that  I  will  mention.  The  infirmities  and  frailties  of 
old  age  are  the  fruits  of  sin.  Jehovah  chose  that  these 
should  be  exhibited  to  his  children,  in  their  fullest 
extent,  in  the  experience  of  the  first  man.  None  have 
ever  travelled  so  far  down  into  the  valley  of  old  age 
as  he  ;  in  no  other  individual  have  the  feebleness  and 
frailties  of  exhausted  strength,  and  worn-out  powers, 
been  so  mournfully  and  so  strikingly  portrayed. 

Seraph.  But  did  not  Jared,  Methuselah,  and  Noah 
live  to  a  greater  age  than  Adam  ? 

Raphael.  Counting  from  their  birth  till  their  death, 
they  saw  more  years  than  Adam ;  but,  observe,  in  that 
day  the  seasons  of  infancy,  childhood,  and  youth  were 
long.  Human  beings  did  not  arrive  at  full  maturity 
until  they  were  from  sixty  to  a  hundred  years  of  age. 
Take  from  the  life  of  Jared,  Methuselah,  or  Noah,  the 


A    VISION.  321 


years  that  passed  by  before  they  came  to  maturity,  and 
you  will  find  that,  after  the  age  of  manhood,  none  of 
them  remained  so  long  on  earth  as  did  their  great  pro 
genitor.  Adam  had  no  infancy.  His  life  began  with 
manhood  ;  and,  measuring  from  that  point,  his  stay  on 
earth  was  protracted  many  years  beyond  that  of  any 
of  his  sons.  His  death  was  deeply  deplored  by  all 
his  pious  offspring.  Long  had  he  been  their  instructor 
in  heavenly  wisdom.  Much  had  he  told  them  of  his 
converse  with  God,  and  with  angels,  before  his  fall ; 
but  chiefly  he  had  encouraged  and  urged  them  to  hope 
for  redeeming  mercy,  through  the  mediation  of  that 
mighty  Savior  Jehovah  had  promised  to  send  into  the 
world.  When  their  great  father  expired,  his  pious 
descendants  felt  themselves  a  family  of  orphans.  None 
now  remained  who  had  seen  humanity  in  its  first  estate 
of  holiness  and  bliss.  All  now  alive  upon  the  earth 
had  commenced  their  existence  after  the  world  was 
involved  in  sin  and  ruin. 

Seraph.  You  observed,  Raphael,  that,  in  that  early 
day,  knowledge  was  very  limited  among  the  saints  on 
earth,  and  the  light  they  had  on  divine  subjects  was 
feeble  and  dim.  When  and  how  was  this  light  in 
creased  for  the  greater  edification  and  comfort  of  the 
people  of  God  ? 

Raphael.  About  fifty  years  after  the  death  of 
Adam,  by  the  translation  of  Enoch.  "  By  faith  Enoch 
was  translated,  that  he  should  not  see  death."  This 
took  place  in  a  public  manner,  in  the  view  of  many 
of  his  brethren,  as  that  of  Elijah,  afterwards,  in  the 
view  of  Elisha,  and  the  ascension  of  Christ,  in  the 
view  of  his  disciples.  Thus  the  righteous  of  that  age 
were  assured  of  existence  after  their  removal  from  the 


322  THE    WESTERN*    SKETCH-BOOK. 

earth,  —  a  doctrine  which,  before  this  event,  was  not 
so  satisfactorily  established,  —  and  thus,  also,  they 
were  assured  of  the  final  deliverance  of  their  bodies 
from  Death.  Before  this  event,  many  had  sunk  under 
his  awful  influence  ;  many  in  infancy,  many  in  youth 
and  middle  age  ;  and,  at  last,  Adam  himself  had  gone 
down  to  the  grave.  Till  now,  Death  had  sternly 
stretched  his  cold  sceptre  over  the  body  of  every 
human  being  that  ha'd  entered  eternity.  "  Shall  he 
reign  forever  over  our  bodies  ?  Shall  they  never  be 
delivered  from  his  tremendous  sway  ?  "  were  questions 
of  amazing  interest  among  the  saints  ;  but  there  was 
none  to  answer.  Enoch  is  translated.  At  once,  the 
righteous  lift  their  heads.  They  see  for  the  body,  as 
well  as  the  soul,  victory  over  death  ;  that  it  is  the 
design  of  God  that  the  body,  made  mortal  by  sin,  shall 
put  on  immortality ;  and  that  soul  and  body,  united 
in  glory,  shall  dwell  forever  with  the  Lord. 

Uriel.  There  was  another  grand  purpose  which 
the  high  and  holy  One  designed  to  answer  by  the  con 
veyance  of  this  eminent  saint,  at  that  early  day,  in 
this  extraordinary  manner,  to  heaven.  The  angels 
were  appointed  "  ministering  spirits  for  the  heirs  of 
salvation."  They  all  felt  an  eager  desire  to  know  as 
much  as  their  Lord  was  pleased  to  reveal  concerning 
the  result  of  these  long  and  diversified  labors  to  which 
they  were  appointed.  By  the  introduction  of  Enoch 
into  heaven  in  a  glorified  state,  body  and  soul  united, 
the  blessed  One  placed  before  all  his  angels  a  perfect 
sample  of  that  ransomed  multitude  with  which  he 
designed  to  people  heaven,  that  each  might  be  fired  to 
delightful  activity  in  the  holy  employment  assigned 
them. 


A    VISION.  323 


I  remember  the  morning  well.  We  had  been  told 
God  would  that  day  bring  one  of  Adam's  children,  in 
a  new  form,  to  associate  with  the  sons  of  glory.  I 
went  to  the  portal  of  the  heavenly  city,  and  looked 
down  towards  the  earth,  when,  far  as  angel's  eye  can 
see,  I  discovered  the  glorified  saint.  He  was  rising 
past  the  intervening  worlds,  as  a  radiant  pillar  of  light, 
while  the  ministering  angels  around  him  appeared  a 
bright  rainbow  of  glory.  Soon  their  hosannas  were 
heard,  and  soon  they  rolled  far  and  wide  over  the 
plains  of  eternity.  The  exulting  spirit  of  Abel  rushed 
forward  to  hail  a  brother  redeemed  from  great  tribula 
tion.  Cherubim  and  seraphim  bent  from  their  thrones 
to  gaze  on  the  wondrous  specimen  of  glorified  human 
ity.  It  was  a  triumphant  day  in  heaven.  "  The 
morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God 
shouted  Amen  !  Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
power  be  unto  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to 
the  Lamb,  forever  and  ever  !  " 

Raphael.  As  in  this  age,  the  same  gospel  which 
proves  a  "  savor  of  life  unto  life  "  to  the  penitent 
believer,  is  a  "  savor  of  death  unto  death  "  to  the  incor 
rigible  sinner,  so  in  that  day,  those  notable  acts  of 
divine  Providence  which  deeply  affected  the  saints 
with  a  sense  of  their  obligations  to  duty  and  devotion 
were  by  the  ungodly  grossly  perverted,  and  used  as 
the  occasion  of  more  exorbitant  license  to  sin. 

The  venerable  example  and  patriarchal  authority  of 
Adam  long  exerted  a  powerful  restraining  influence  on 
mankind.  This  was  corroborated  by  the  faithful  warn 
ings,  the  eloquent  and  fervent  public  exhortations,  of 
Enoch.  But  when  the  one  was  removed  by  death, 
and  the  other  by  translation,  the  ungodly  world,  freed 


324  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

from  these  checks,  yielded  to  the  strong  impulse  of 
every  unholy  passion,  and,  in  the  emphatic  language 
of  inspiration,  "  the  wickedness  of  man  was  great  in 
the  earth."  At  first,  a  general  spirit  of  worldliness 
pervaded  all  ranks  of  society.  Men, 

"  With  impious  hands, 
Rifled  the  bowels  of  their  mother  earth 
For  treasures  hid,  and  digged  out  ribs  of  gold." 

With  the  increase  of  wealth  grew  Pride,  and  Fashion, 
with  all  her  train  of  frivolous  and  contemptible  follies, 
and  Envy,  and  deadly  Hate. 

To  this  succeeded  a  political  mania ;  and  many  a 
brain  was  goaded  to  frenzy  in  attempts  to  invent  new 
methods  for  the  organization  and  management  of  civil 
society.  Many,  whose  names  have  long  since  perished 
from  the  earth,  were  then  "  men  of  renown,"  figured 
high  in  the  political  hemisphere,  were  greatly  admired 
by  themselves,  and  imagined  they  were  by  others. 
The  political  institutions  of  the  first  great  patriarchal 
governor  of  the  human  race  were,  a  few  years  after 
his  death,  indignantly  cast  aside.  It  was  contended 
that  they  were  unfriendly  to  civil  liberty,  because  they 
contained  an  acknowledgment  of  the  existence  and 
perfections  of  God,  the  claims  of  his  holy  law.  and 
the  sacredness  of  the  Sabbath,  which  God  gave  to  man 
the  first  day  after  his  creation. 

Seraph.  As  Adam,  the  first  patriarchal  governor  of 
men,  acknowledged  these  divine  truths,  did  no  one 
charge  him  with  aiming  to  obtain  a  religious  establish 
ment,  and  insist  that  the  acknowledgment  of  these 
truths  was  but  "  the  entering  wedge  "  to  some  perfidi 
ous  and  horrible  scheme  against  the  welfare  of  the 
community? 


A    VISION.  325 


Raphael.  No  such  allegation  was  made  ;  for,  in 
that  age,  the  minds  as  well  as  the  bodies  of  men  were 
very  vigorous.  Satan  was  under  the  necessity  of  re 
serving  this  folly,  as  materials  for  clamor  and  calumny 
in  a  more  feeble-minded  and  stupid  generation.  How 
ever,  the  principles  of  those  politicians  of  whom  I 
spoke  were  founded  in  atheism.  They  acted  on  the 
doctrine  which,  at  a  later  day,  the  devil  had  the  im 
pudence  to  advance  in  the  presence  of  the  Son  of 
God,  viz.,  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  belong 
to  him.  The  existence  of  Jehovah  was  denied,  his 
law  rejected,  and  the  Sabbath  insolently  trampled 
under  foot.  A  rage  for  idolatry  ensued ;  for  God, 
whose  existence  they  had  denied,  and  whose  institu 
tions  they  had  insultingly  spurned,  "  gave  them  up  to 
strong  delusions."  They  soon  became  the  scourge 
and  tormentors  of  each  other.  Loathsome  debauchery 
and  prostitution  became  general.  Green-eyed  Jealousy 
infested  the  family  circle  ;  cloven-tongued  Slander, 
daughter  of  hell,  shed  her  u  noisomo  pestilence" 
through  each  neighborhood ;  red-handed  Murder,  in 
broad  day,  walked  the  streets ;  Theft  and  Rapine 
lurked  in  each  dark  lane  and  alley ;  foul-mouthed 
Blasphemy  was  heard  at  every  corner ;  while  villanous 
War,  covered  with  ghastly  wounds  and  scars,  stalked 
frightfully  through  the  land. 

"  Before  the  palace  door 
The  beggar  rotted,  starving  in  his  rags ; 
And  on  the  threshold  of  luxurious  domes 
The  orphan  child  laid  down  his  head,  and  died." 

"  The  world  was  filled  with  violence,"  till  insulted 
Heaven  prepared  to  wash  the  guilty  generation  from 

28 


326  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  polluted  face  of  the  earth.  Yet  even  here  the 
wonderful  forbearance  of  God  was  strongly  manifested. 
During  the  long  period  in  which  the  ark  was  preparing, 
Noah,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  was  commissioned 
to  warn  the  rebels  of  their  approaching  ruin,  and 
entreat  them  to  repent  and  humble  themselves  before 
the  Lord,  if  peradventure  his  anger  might  be  turned 
away,  and  their  dreadful  doom  averted  ;  but  his  warn 
ings  by  some  were  treated  with  the  coldest  neglect, 
while  by  others  they  were  answered  with  scoffs,  and 
taunts,  and  the  bitterest  ridicule  ;  yet,  like  infidels  in 
every  age,  they  all  had  their  fears  lest  the  word  of  God 
should  prove  true  at  last,  and  the  scornful  smile  often 
covered  a  trembling  and  an  aching  heart.  But  they 
had  the  multitude  on  their  side.  Noah  was  denounced 
throughout  all  the  country  as  a  fanatic,  a  hypocrite,  an 
enthusiast,  a  madman.  His  name  was  the  jest  and 
by-word  of  the  witty,  and  the  song  of  the  drunkard. 

I  was  deeply  affected  with  an  occurrence  that  took 
place  the  evening  before  the  deluge  began.  The  ark 
was  finished.  Provisions  for  its  destined  inmates,  also, 
had  been  laid  up  in  store.  The  numerous  band  of 
workmen  so  long  in  Noah's  employ  were  now  dis 
missed.  As  this  remarkable  vessel  had  been  constructed 
on  the  confines  of  a  large  commercial  city,  the  wealthy, 
the  gay,  and  the  pleasure-loving  citizens  resolved,  as 
the  strongest  proof  they  could  devise  of  their  contempt 
and  defiance  of  Noah's  God,  and  their  fearlessness  of 
the  threatened  judgment,  to  treat,  on  that  night,  all  the 
workmen  who  had  been  employed  about  the  ark  to 
a  splendid  ball,  in  a  spacious  temple  near  the  centre 
of  their  city,  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  Belus,  an 
idol  afterwards  known  among  the  Chaldeans.  Every 


A    VISION.  327 


eifort  was  made  to  have  the  entertainment  of  the  most 
brilliant  character,  and  to  collect  the  beauty  and  wit 
of  all  the  surrounding  country.  To  show  the  gross- 
ness  of  insult  to  which  they  were  capable  of  descend 
ing,  they  sent  tickets  of  invitation  to  the  younger 
members  of  Noah's  family.  On  that  evening,  the 
angels  of  God  were  engaged  in  bringing  to  the  ark  the 
beasts  and  fowls  designed  to  be  preserved  alive.  As 
their  angelic  attendants  were  invisible,  these  creatures 
seemed  to  the  eye  of  man  to  come  of  their  own  accord 
to  take  shelter  in  the  ark.  A  young  woman,  of  amia 
ble  countenance,  who  had  buried  her  mother  but  the 
day  before,  having  been  on  a  visit  to  an  elder  sister  in 
the  city,  was  now  returning  home.  Her  name  was 
Tyresah.  She  had  excused  herself  from  attending 
the  ball,  on  account  of  her  late  bereavement.  She 
passed  by  the  ark  about  the  going  down  of  the  sun. 
It  was  then  the  dumb  animals,  of  all  classes,  were 
crowding  in  to  obtain  their  stations.  She  was  shocked 
with  amazement.  She  knew  that  many  of  them  were 
wild  by  nature,  and  that  this  strange  movement  was 
perfectly  miraculous.  Noah  was  near.  She  called  on 
him,  from  the  window  of  her  coach,  for  an  explanation. 
He  told  her  the  cry  of  man's  wickedness  had  gone  up 
to  heaven  before  God,  and  that  the  end  of  all  flesh  was 
at  hand.  "  To-morrow,"  said  he,  "  God  will  sweep 
this  guilty  generation  to  eternity.  Humble  yourself 
before  him  ;  pray  for  mercy  to  your  immortal  soul ; 
for  as  the  Lord  liveth,  there  is  but  a  step  between  you 
and  death."  Tyresah  was  greatly  affected,  and  wept 
bitterly.  She  urged  the  driver  to  hasten  home.  Her 
father  yet  retained  great  bodily  vigor,  though  his  locks 
were  grizzled  with  age.  She  fell  on  her  knees  before 


328  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

him,  told  him  what  she  had  seen,  and  entreated  him 
to  pray  that  God's  anger  might  be  turned  away.  He 
was  in  a  transport  of  fury  as  soon  as  the  subject  was 
mentioned,  uttered  a  volley  of  oaths,  demanded  if  she 
had  become  a  fanatic  —  had  lost  her  reason  —  had  run 
mad.  "  Why  went  you  not  to  the  party  ?  "  She 
answered,  she  "  could  not  go."  He  fiercely  swore  she 
should,  called  the  servant  to  bring  the  carriage  in 
stantly,  told  her  that  what  had  alarmed  her  was  all 
idle  nonsense  j  that  she  must  go  to  the  ball,  to  drive 
away  melancholy,  and  cheer  her  spirits  :  he  would 
go  with  her.  She  saw  remonstrance  was  vain.  The 
carriage  came.  He  handed  her  in,  then  lifted  a  little 
son  of  five  years  old,  and  entered  himself,  bidding  the 
servant  to  drive  with  all  speed  to  the  place  of  amuse 
ment.  I  followed  them,  to  witness  the  result.  A  gay 
multitude  were  assembled  to  spend  in  sinful  revelry  the 
night  ordained  to  be  their  last.  As  they  quaffed  the 
wine,  they  "  praised  the  gods  of  gold,  of  silver,  of 
brass,  of  iron,  of  wood,  and  of  stone."  For  some 
time,  a  pensive  and  serious  air  sat  on  the  brow  of  the 
young  and  beautiful  Tyresah  ;  but  she  was  surrounded 
by  a  crowd  of  admirers,  and  Noah,  and  his  ark,  and 
the  threatened  deluge  were  the  subjects  of  perpetual 
jest  and  merriment.  At  length,  her  seriousness  gave 
way.  It  was  only  the  effect  of  alarm  ;  for  the  Spirit 
of  God  had  already  forsaken  the  earth.  Gradually 
she  became  gay,  excessively  gay,  laughed  at  her  former 
fears,  and  joined  the  infatuated  company  in  scoffing  at 
the  warnings  of  God.  I  returned  to  the  ark ;  but 
often,  through  the  night,  the  sounds  of  wild  extrava 
gant  mirth  and  frolic  were  heard.  They  continued 
even  till  the  break  of  day. 


A    VISION. 


The  morning  arose  brilliant  and  beautiful.  The 
sun  appeared,  and  smiled  upon  the  green  earth  from  an 
unclouded  sky.  No  token  of  wrath  was  visible  ;  but 
as  the  report  of  the  wild  beasts  and  fowls  entering  the 
ark  on  the  preceding  evening  had  by  this  time  spread 
through  the  city,  a  numerous  throng,  impelled  by  eager 
curiosity,  hurried  early  to  the  place,  to  see  this  strange 
sight.  At  this  juncture,  a  large  and  merry  marriage 
party  from  the  country  drove  up.  They  were  in  haste 
to  reach  the  temple  of  Belus,  and  share  in  the  festive 
mirth  ere  its  close.  Before  the  "  eastern  blooming 
bride  "  moved  a  superb  band  of  lively  and  enchanting 
music.  Surprised  at  finding  so  many  of  the  jolly 
revellers  collected  here,  they  halted,  and  the  music 
ceased.  Noah's  family  were  just  entering  the  ark  as 
these  multitudes  met  before  it.  He  himself,  strongly 
impelled  by  compassion,  paused  at  the  door,  and  turned 
to  give  them  a  last  address.  The  day  of  wrath,  he 
assured  them,  was  come,  and  would  presently  array 
around  them  all  its  terrors.  It  was  now  too  late  to 
secure  their  earthly  lives.  The  death  of  the  body  was 
inevitable.  "  But  who,"  said  he,  "  can  fathom  the 
mercy  of  God  ?  Prostrate  yourselves  before  him,  and 
entreat  that  he  will  not  destroy  your  souls  and  bodies 
in  hell  forever."  With  awful  solemnity,  he  appealed 
to  gray-headed  fathers  of  the  assembly,  his  acquaint 
ances  and  neighbors  from  early  youth  ;  but  they  hurled 
upon  him  their  horrible  imprecations,  and  madly  cursed 
his  God.  He  then  turned,  and  began  to  speak  to  a 
crowd  of  children  and  youth  that  stood  near.  At  this, 
the  father  of  Tyresah  caught  up  his  little  son,  sprang 
forward,  and,  holding  him  up  before  the  righteous  man, 
bade  him  "  curse  the  abominable  old  hypocrite — curse 
28* 


330  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

his  God  !  "  The  child  attempted  to  stammer  forth  the 
hideous  execrations  his  father  dictated  ;  others  cried, 
"  Stone  him  with  stones !  "  but  ere  their  fury  could 
find  weapons,  I  pushed  him  into  the  ark,  and,  accord 
ing  to  my  commission  from  above,  "shut  him  in." 
When  they  saw  the  door  closed,  their  madness  was 
uncontrollable  ;  and,  as  if  possessed  by  the  same  hell 
ish  demon,  all,  with  one  voice,  exclaimed,  "  Set  fire  to 
his  pitchy  den ;  and  let  him  have  a  conflagration, 
instead  of  a  flood."  Some  ran  to  bring  fire,  and  others 
to  collect  the  fagots  ;  but  at  that  moment  a  dense,  dark 
fragment  of  cloud  eclipsed  the  sun,*  and  every  star  of 
heaven  looked  down  with  unwonted  brightness  upon 
the  earth.  Another  moment,  and  the  angel  of  destruc 
tion,  a  tall,  terrible  form,  appeared  standing  on  the 
tower  of  the  temple  of  Belus.  Shuddering  horror 
seized  all  who  saw  him.  Thrice  he  glared  frightfully 
around,  and  thrice  he  flapped  his  sable  wings  over  the 
quaking  city.  Then,  with  a  mighty  voice,  such  as 
earth,  since  her  creation,  had  never  heard,  he  called  to 
the  great  deep  to  come  forth  from  her  storehouses. 
He  called  to  the  clouds  of  heaven  to  muster  all  their 
armies,  and  execute  the  vengeance  of  the  great  God. 
At  his  word,  all  the  storms  of  the  north  arid  south 
awoke,  and  prepared  to  discharge  their  magazines  of 
wrath  upon  the  earth.  Instantly  all  heaven  was 
wrapped  in  blackness.  But  who  may  speak  of  the 
terror  of  sinners  in  that  hour  ?  Some  fled,  they  knew 
not  where,  in  search  of  refuge  ;  others  stretched  their 
hands  towards  heaven  for  help,  and  cried  to  the  God 
they  had  despised.  But  the  day  of  mercy  was  past. 

*  Fearful  sights   and  appalling  prodigies  preceded  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem.     See  the  accounts  given  by  St.  Luke,  and  by  Josephus. 


A    VISION.  331 


He  answered  their  prayers  in  awful  peals  of  thunder, 
and  the  shriek  of  despair  was  lost  in  the  fury  of  con 
tending  tempests.  Amidst  the  confusion  and  wild 
uproar  of  the  convulsed  and  distracted  elements,  I 
could  mark  the  mighty  angel  of  destruction  putting 
forth  all  his  tremendous  energies  to  drive  the  ruin  on. 
He  uprooted  the  hills,  burst  the  rocks,  and  rent  the 
earth,  till  from  her  deep  centre  the  troubled  waters 
spouted  up,  "  ten  thousand  fathoms  wide,  ten  thousand 
fathoms  high."  Nor  did  he  wait  for  the  heavens  to 
distil  their  showers  in  the  usual  form,  but  rushed 
fiercely  up,  and  tore  the  thick  cloud  asunder,  till  its 
contents  were  precipitated  in  foaming  cataracts,  while 
through  the  tortured  air  I  perceived  a  ghastly  cloud  of 
guilty  ghosts  going  up,  blaspheming,  to  their  last  dread 
account  at  the  bar  of  God. 

Innumerable  buildings  were  prostrated,  and  immense 
destruction  of  human  life  effected,  by  the  breaking  up 
of  the  "  fountains  of  the  great  deep,"  and  the  opening 
of  the  "  windows  of  heaven  ;  "  yet  here  and  there  a 
strong  house  still  resisted  the  shock  of  the  tempest, 
and  braved  the  violence  of  the  current,  which  now 
rushed  with  singular  vehemence  over  the  plain.  From 
these  issued  deep  groans  and  unavailing  prayers,  min 
gled  with  distracted  screams  and  bitter  lamentation. 
Fragments  of  houses,  furniture,  garments,  and  dead 
bodies  of  beasts  arid  men,  were  every  moment  drifting 
by,  with,  now  and  then,  a  "strong  swimmer"  still 
buffeting  the  waves  and  struggling  for  life.  At  length, 
the  ark  itself  rose  from  its" resting-place,  and  began  to 
move  with  the  waters.  On  perceiving  this,  the  pious 
family  within  united  their  voices  in  a  solemn  hymn  of 
praise  and  adoration  to  God,  their  Preserver.  The 


THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

direction  it  took  was  along  the  great  street  of  the  now 
ruined  city.  A  huge  stone  building  of  strongest  ma 
sonry  was  still  standing,  and  from  within  came  the 
voice  of  wailing,  lamentation,  and  woe  ;  the  waves, 
already  near  the  top  of  the  walls,  were  rapidly  rising 
higher  and  higher,  as  if  still  hungry  for  their  prey.  I 
looked  till  the  roof  was  burst  open  from  within,  and 
several  miserable  wretches  came  forth  and  stood  upon 
it,  silent  and  shivering  in  the  extremities  of  horror. 
Among  these  I  marked  the  unhappy  Tyresah.  Her 
reason  was  totally  dethroned  ;  her  cheek  was  sunken 
and  ghastly  pale  ;  the  wild,  irregular  glare  of  insanity 
shot  from  her  eyes  ;  her  gray-headed  father  held  her 
by  the  arm,  while  with  the  other  hand  he  sustained 
the  little  favorite  son.  The  swelling  waters  now 
dashed  quite  over  the  roof,  and  rippled  among  their 
feet ;  another  surge  rose  to  their  knees ;  another  came 
and  swept  the  child  from  the  hand  of  the  affrighted 
father.  Tyresah  saw  him  sink  among  the  waves,  and 
answered  his  last  cry  with  a  frenzied  and  fiendish 
laugh  ;  then  turned  her  maniac  visage,  and  looked  full 
in  her  father's  face,  as  she  pointed  to  the  ark,  now 
passing  near  them,  furiously  exclaiming,  "  Father ! 
curse  the  abominable  old  hypocrite  !  —  Curse  his  God  !  " 
He  spoke  not,  but 

"  Lively  bright  horror  and  amazing  anguish 
Stared  through  his  eyelids." 

At  that  instant,  the  strong  building  gave  way ;  the 
raging  billows  flashed  and  boiled  over  them,  while  the 
shrill  tempest  went  howling  by,  his  voice  no  longer 
interrupted  by  the  shrieks?  and  wailings,  and  blasphemy 
of  man. 


A    VISION.  333 


A  few  there  were  whose  destruction  was  more 
protracted.  They  attained  a  point  of  land  of  a  great 
elevation,  from  whence  they  looked  down  on  the 
resolute  advance  of  the  raging  waters.  Finding  that 
prayers  addressed  to  Heaven  were  unheeded  and  fruit 
less,  they  turned  their  supplication  to  the  waves,  and 
wept,  and  wrung  their  hands,  and  besought  the  waters 
to  stop  the  pursuit,  and  spare  their  lives.  The  waters 
were  deaf  and  inexorable ;  the  angry  upward  march 
was  continued,  till  the  fugitives,  driven  to  their  last 
retreat,  were  overcome  and  washed  into  eternity. 

The  dominion  of  Ocean  was  now  complete. 
Earth  was  buried.  The  vast  billows  of  the  shoreless 
deep,  as  if  flushed  with  victory,  and  proud  of  the  wide 
range  and  unlimited  ascendency  they  had  obtained, 
wheeled,  and  tossed,  and  foamed,  and  practised  their 
huge,  unwieldy  gambols,  above  the  tops  of  the  tallest 
mountains. 

Raphael  paused,  when  all  the  splendid  assembly 
raised  an  anthem  of  praise  to  the  Most  High.  The 
sentiments  were  exceedingly  elevated  and  grand.  In 
the  language  of  mortals,  their  song  might  be  rendered 
thus  :  — 

"Loud  hallelujahs  to  the  Lord, 

From  distant  worlds,  where  creatures  dwell ; 
Let  heaven  begin  the  solemn  word, 
And  sound  it  dreadful  down  to  hell. 

"  The  Lord,  how  absolute  he  reigns  ! 
Let  every  angel  bend  the  knee  ; 
Sing  of  his  love  in  heavenly  strains, 
And  speak  how  fierce  his  terrors  be. 

"  The  world's  foundation  by  his  hand 
Is  poised,  and  shall  forever  stand ; 


334  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

He  binds  the  ocean  in  his  chain, 

Lest  it  should  drown  the  earth  again. 

"  When  earth  was  covered  with  a  flood, 

Which  high  above  the  mountains  stood, 
He  thundered,  and  the  ocean  fled, 
And  sought  its  own  appointed  bed. 

"Let  clouds,  and  winds,  and  waves  agree 
To  join  then-  praise  with  blazing  fire ; 
Let  the  firm  earth  and  rolling  sea 
In  this  eternal  song  conspire. 

"  Speak  of  the  wonders  of  that  love 

Which  Gabriel  plays  on  every  chord  ; 
From  all  below,  and  all  above, 
Loud  hallelujahs  to  the  Lord." 


ANECDOTE    OF    ItEV.    E.    F.    HATFIELD.     335 


ANECDOTE  OP  REV.  E.  P.  HATFIELD. 


IN  the  month  of  June,  1848,  I  labored  for  some 
weeks  in  Galloway  county,  Missouri.  Many  of  the 
early  settlers  in  that  county  were  religious  people  ;  and 
the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  have  now  been  sustained 
among  them,  with  little  interruption,  for  quite  a  number 
of  years.  About  the  year  1833  or  '34,  brother  Hat- 
field,  now  of  New  York,  labored  among  this  people 
with  very  great  success.  He  was  with  them  at  a  sac 
ramental  meeting  of  five  or  six  days'  continuance.  He 
preached  every  day.  The  gospel  was  accompanied 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven.  Chris 
tians  were  revived,  backsliders  were  reclaimed,  and 
many  souls  were  brought  from  the  bondage  of  sin  into 
the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  During  my  visit, 
in  1848,  I  was  delighted  to  find,  that  after  the  lapse  of 
so  many  years,  the  memory  of  that  brother,  who  had 
been  so  much  blessed  as  the  messenger  of  God  among 
them,  was  still  affectionately  embalmed  in  their  hearts. 
Knowing  that  I  had  been  much  associated  with  brother 
Hatfield  since  he  left  Missouri,  they  called  on  me  for 
such  portions  of  his  subsequent  history  as  were  in  my 
possession.  Among  many  other  facts,  I  gave  them  the 
following  anecdote,  which,  as  it  was  favorably  received, 
I  now  lay  before  the  reader. 

In  the   winter  of   1836,   the   Lord  poured  out  his 


336  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Spirit,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  on  the  Seventh  Pres 
byterian  Church  in  the  city  of  New  York,  of  which 
brother  Hatfield  was  then  the  pastor,  and,  indeed,  of 
which  he  is  the  pastor  now.  The  awakening  was 
extensive  and  powerful  The  number  of  serious  inqui 
rers  was  great,  and  soon  there  were  many  cases  of 
hopeful  conversion.  As  is  usual  in  such  an  attitude 
of  affairs,  the  tidings  went  abroad  that  the  Lord  had 
visited  his  people  of  the  Seventh  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  the  friends  of  Zion  in  neighboring  churches 
would  occasionally  come  to  weep  and  to  rejoice  with 
them. 

Brother  John was  pastor  of  a  church  not 

far  distant.  That  church  had  been  blessed,  in  years  gone 
by,  with  precious  revivals.  Many  of  its  most  efficient 
members  had  been  born  to  God  in  those  interesting 
seasons.  Such  individuals,  of  course,  when  they  could 
.find  opportunity,  that  is,  on  Sabbath  afternoon  or 
evening,  when  they  felt  at  liberty  to  leave  their  own 
place  of  worship,  would  go  to  brother  Hatfield 's  church, 
and  share  in  the  blessings  of  the  revival.  With 

brother   John   my  acquaintance  has  been 

very  limited.  I  have  never  had  the  opportunity  to 
hear  him  "  define  his  position  "  in  relation  to  revivals. 
But  it  seems  that  his  zeal  did  not  carry  him  so  far  as 
to  approve  of  members  going  from  his  own  church  in 
order  to  witness  the  progress  of  a  revival  in  another. 
And  yet,  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  as  he  appeared  in 
the  pulpit  to  address  his  people,  empty  pews,  with 
alarming  frequency,  were  yawning  in  every  quarter  of 
the  church,  and  the  evil  was  evidently  on  the  increase. 
Brother  John  determined  that  the  offenders  should 
meet  with  speedy  rebuke.  Accordingly,  one  Sabbath 


ANECDOTE    OF    REV.    E.    F.    HAT  FIELD.     337 

morning,  when  they  were  mostly  in  their  pews,  at 
their  own  church,  brother  John  arose  in  the  pulpit. 
Perhaps  it  could  scarcely  be  said,  as  in  the  case  of 
Goldsmith's  village  schoolmaster, 

"Well  had  the  boding  tremblers  learned  to  trace 
The  day's  disasters  in  his  morning  face." 

But  when  he  announced  his  text,  they  began  to  look 
one  upon  another.  His  text  was  Matt.  xi.  8  :  "  What 
went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  "  This  text  he  repeated,  look 
ing  earnestly,  now  on  one  part  of  the  congregation, 
and  now  on  another.  As  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  those 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  pulpit, — and  a  number  of  the 
delinquents  were  there,  —  he  demanded,  "  What  went  ye 
out  for  to  see  ?  "  Then  turning  to  those  on  the  left 
hand,  he  repeated,  "  What  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  " 
And  then  the  assembly  in  front  were  addressed,  "  What 
went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  "  The  preacher,  (I  pretend 
not  to  give  his  identical  words,  but  the  substance, 
merely,)  according  to  the  good  old  custom,  raised  from 
the  text  an  important  doctrine,  to  wit :  That  when  he 
preached  in  that  pulpit,  there  was  no  propriety  in  those 
who  ought  to  attend  his  church,  going  to  hear  or  see 
what  might  be  transacting  in  other  churches.  "  What 
went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  " 

Brother  John  maintained  that  any  departure  from  the 
above  doctrine  was  unauthorized  :  1.  By  Scripture  ; 
2.  By  the  confession  of  faith;  and  3.  By  the  Catechisms, 
both  the  Larger  and  the  Shorter.  And  to  many  of  his 
hearers  the  sermon  abounded  in  "  striking  "  remarks. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  until  there  came  one  that 
had  "escaped,"  and  told  brother  Hatfield.  On  the 
Sabbath  afternoon,  therefore,  when  many  of  the  same 
29 


338  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

persons  were  present,  of  whom  it  had  been  demanded, 
"  What  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  "  brother  Hatfield 
arose  in  his  pulpit,  and  announced  his  text :  "  Go 
and  show  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do  hear 
and  see  :  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame 
walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the 
dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel 
preached  to  them.  And  blessed  is  he  whosoever 
shall  not  be  offended  in  me."  (Matt.  xi.  5,  6.) 


A  friend  desires  to  be  informed  of  the  difference 
between  Calvinism  and  the  Fatalism  maintained  by 
Mahometans.  I  answer,  Fatalism  teaches  that  all 
things  are  governed  by  blind,  undesigning  fate  — 
atheism  asserts  that  all  things  are  the  sport  of  blind 
chance  and  contingency.  The  Bible  teaches  that  "all 
things  are  of  God."  On  this  holy  ground  Calvinism 
plants  her  standard,  distant  alike  from  the  two  extremes 
of  blind-fate  and  blind  contingence,  (Truth  lies  in  the 
middle,)  and  rejoices,  with  joy  unspeakable,  that  an 
infinitely  INTELLIGENT  and  BENEVOLENT  BEING,  for  his 
own  glory  and  the  greatest  good,  "  works  all  things 
after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will." 


THE    MISSISSIPPI    JUDGE. 


THE   MISSISSIPPI   JUDGE. 


IN  the  month  of  February,  1839,  I  was  riding,  in  com 
pany  with  a  Mississippi  judge,  along  the  bank  of  the 
great  river  which  gives  its  name  to  the  state  in  which 
he  resided.  Said  he,  "  There  are  some  portions  of  the 
Bible  that  are  very  difficult  to  be  understood,  and  re 
quire,  I  should  think,  a  great  deal  of  explanation." 

"  Mention,  if  you  please,  some  of  the  passages  to 
which  you  refer." 

"  Well,"  said  the  judge,  "  one  of  them  is  found  in 
the  writings  of  Solomon,  where  he  says,  l  Cast  thy 
bread  upon  the  waters  j  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after 
many  days.'  Now,  suppose  a  man  should  cast  his 
bread  on  the  Mississippi  River,  —  would  he  ever  find 
it  again  ?  " 

"  The  text  you  have  quoted,  judge,  is  the  first  verse 
of  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  book  of  Ecclesiastes. 
It  is  a  beautiful  text,  and  teaches  a  great  lesson.  You 
must  observe,  that  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  that  is  often 
called  bread  out  of  which  bread  is  made,  —  bread-corn, 
for  example  ;  because  out  of  it  bread  is  manufactured. 
Thus  we  read,  that  in  the  days  of  Joseph  '  the  dearth 
was  in  all  lands  ;  but  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt  there 
was  bread.'  That  is,  there  was  bread-corn  there,  out 
of  which  bread  could  be  made.  Now,  Egypt  was  the 
most  famous  of  all  the  ancient  countries  for  the  pro- 


840  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

duction  of  bread.  Very  soon  after  Abraham  came  first 
into  Canaan,  '  there  was  a  famine  in  the  land  j  and 
Abram  went  down  into  Egypt,  to  sojourn  there.' 
(Gen.  xii.  10.)  Again,  in  the  days  of  Isaac,  'there 
was  a  famine  in  the  land ;  and  the  Lord  appeared  unto 
him,  and  said,  Go  down  into  Egypt.'  (Gen.  xxvi.  1,  2.) 
In  like  manner,  Jacob  was  driven  by  famine  into  Egypt. 
Egypt  was  the  storehouse  of  bread  to  the  ancient 
world,  and  continued  so,  in  fact,  until  the  time  of  the 
Roman  empire.  The  ship  in  which  Paul  sailed  to 
Rome  was  bound  from  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  to  Rome, 
loaded  with  bread-corn ;  for  when  the  storm  came 
upon  them,  you  read  that  '  they  lightened  the  ship, 
and  cast  out  the  wheat  into  the  sea.'  Now,  Egypt 
being  thus  famous  for  the  production  of  bread,  and 
Israel  having  sojourned  there  during  so  many  years, 
it  is  not  strange  that  Egyptian  scenery  should  mingle 
with  the  Bible  language  on  this  subject.  The  unpar 
alleled  fertility  of  Egypt  was  owing  to  the  annual 
overflowing  of  the  Nile.  At  a  certain  season,  every 
year,  immense  tracts  of  the  level  country  were  entirely 
inundated.  When  the  water  was  about  receding,  the 
husbandman  would  take  his  seed-corn,  and  sow  it  over 
these  wide  fields.  The  grain  would  fall  on  the  face 
of  the  water,  and  sink  down  into  the  soft  loam  that 
was  just  below.  Presently  the  water  was  gone  ;  and 
that  grain,  cast  thus  upon  the  waters,  would  spring  up, 
and  yield  an  abundant  harvest. 

"  Now,  the  command  is,  To  you  who  have  wealth, 
disperse  it  abroad  among  the  poor  and  needy.  Do  not 
aim  to  consume  it  all  yourself,  but  appropriate  a  portion 
of  it,  as  the  wise  husbandman  appropriates  a  portion  of 
his  bread-corn  when  he  uses  it  for  seed,  and  you. 


THE    MISSISSIPPI    JUDGE.  341 

also,  in  due  time,  shall  enjoy  an  abundant  harvest. 
1  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters  ;  for  thou  shalt  find 
it  after  many  days.'  " 

"  That  is,  indeed,  an  instructive  and  valuable  lesson," 
said  the  judge,  "and  beautifully  inculcated.  And  now 
I  am  encouraged  to  mention  another  text  which  I  have 
not  been  able  satisfactorily  to  understand." 

"  I  shall  be  gratified  to  hear  you." 

"  The  text  to  which  I  now  refer,"  continued  the 
judge,  "  is  found  in  Rev.  xiv.  13  :  '  And  I  heard  a 
voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto  me,  Write,  Blessed  are 
the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth :  yea, 
saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors  ; 
and  their  works  do  follow  them.'  The  difficulty  in  my 
mind  is  with  the  words,  *'  from  henceforth  '  —  '  Blessed 
are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth.' 
Have  not  the  dead,  in  every  age,  who  have  died  in  the 
Lord,  been  blessed  ?  Were  not  those  blessed  who 
died  in  the  Lord  in  the  time  of  Abel  and  of  Noah  ? 
Were  not  those  who  died  in  the  Lord  blessed  in 
the  days  of  Abraham,  and  Joseph,  and  Moses  ?  In 
short,  has  there  ever  been  a  period  when  those  were 
not  blessed  who  have  died  in  the  Lord  ?  What,  then, 
can  be  the  meaning  of  the  words  i  from  henceforth '  ? " 

"  You  must  observe,  judge,  that  the  book  of  Reve 
lation  contains  a  prophetic  history  of  the  church,  from 
the  apostolic  age  until  the  end  of  the  world.  The 
Scriptures  clearly  teach,  that  while  we  are  justified 
before  God  only  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  and  our  own 
obedience  is  entitled  to  nothing  on  the  score  of  merit, 
yet  the  Lord  graciously  rewards  his  people  according 
to  their  works  ;  and  this  is  held  up  before  the  church 
as  a  motive  why  we  should  '  always  abound  in  the 
29* 


342  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

work  of  the  Lord.'  Now,  in  the  present  day,  the  plain 
Christian  has  an  opportunity  of  accomplishing  much 
more  in  the  vineyard  of  Christ  than  could  have  been 
accomplished  with  the  same  means  five  hundred  years 
ago.  Suppose  your  lot  had  been  cast  in  the  world  as 
early  as  the  thirteenth  century,  and  that  you  had  then 
set  your  heart  on  doing  good  to  men  by  circulating  the 
word  of  God.  At  that  period,  the  art  of  printing  was 
unknown  ;  and  one  copy  of  the  Bible  in  England  cost 
the  sum  of  thirty  pounds  sterling,  —  that  is,  about  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  dollars  of  our  money.  Now, 
for  the  cost  of  one  Bible  at  that  time,  you  can  at  this 
day  put  in  circulation  more  than  five  hundred  copies. 
The  same  principle  will  apply  to  other  good  books,  and 
to  religious  tracts.  How  grea"t,  then,  are  the  facilities 
for  doing  good  which  have  come  up  in  divine  provi 
dence,  and  are  within  the  reach  of  those  who  live  in 
the  present  age  !  These  facilities  extend  to  other  de 
partments  of  Christian  enterprise,  as  Sabbath  schools, 
missions,  &c.  It  may  be  affirmed  that  additional  value 
is  given  to  time,  and  additional  value  is  given  to  health, 
and  to  influence,  when  such  precious  opportunities  of 
1  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord '  are  brought  even 
to  our  door.  We  live  in  an  age  which 

'  Prophets  and  kings  desired  to  see, 
But  died  without  the  sight' 

"Now,  the  book  of  Revelation  contains  a  prophetic 
view  of  the  progress  of  the  church,  from  the  apostolic 
day  until  the  end  of  time.  <  The  Lamb  in  the  midst 
of  the  throne  '  has  taken  the  book  of  God's  eternal 
counsels,  and  as  he  opens  seal  after  seal,  the  future 
condition  of  the  church  rises  to  view.  Age  after  age 


THE    MISSISSIPPI    JUDGE.  343 

of  trial,  perplexity,  and  persecution  passes  by  —  periods 
in  which  the  church,  like  Noah  surrounded  by  the 
wreck  and  desolations  of  the  deluge,  finds  that  the 
utmost  that  she  can  do  is  to  'remain  alive.'  (Gen.  vii. 
23.)  But  the  opening  of  the  seals  goes  on.  Page  after 
page  of  futurity  rises  in  sight  j  when,  behold,  a  day 
appears,  in  which  the  iron  rod  of  persecution  is  broken, 
and  the  church  is  free.  The  light  of  divine  truth 
shines  clearly,  and  Zion's  King  'walks  in  the  midst  of 
the  golden  candlesticks.'  The  minister  of  the  gospel 
is  blessed  in  his  labors.  His  preaching  is  accompanied 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven.  The 
members  of  the  church  find  that  the  vineyard  of  God 
furnishes  to  each  the  opportunity  of  becoming  a  suc 
cessful  and  honored  laborer.  One  can  circulate  Bibles 
by  the  thousand  ;  another"  rejoices  in  the  Sabbath  school 
enterprise,  and  sees  how  he  can  benefit  immortal  souls, 
and  lay  up  treasure  in  heaven ;  another  beholds  the 
missionary  field  opening  to  him  a  prospect  full  of  im 
mortality.  Every  child  of  God  discovers  that  '  the  time 
to  favor  Zion,  yea,  the  set  time,  is  come,'  and  that  now 
he  has  before  him  an  open  door  for  the  wise  and  happy 
employment  of  health,  time,  influence,  wealth,  every 
talent  that  he  possesses,  for  the  glory  of  God  arid  the 
everlasting  good  of  his  kingdom.  Is  it  strange  that  at 
the  dawn  of  such  a  day  of  salvation  in  the  apostle's 
vision,  he  should  record  the  passage  under  considera 
tion  ?  —  'And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto 
me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth  :  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may 
rest  from  their  labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow 

them.'  " 

"Very  satisfactory,"  said   the  judge.    "And  what 


344  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

rich  and  delightful  meaning  the  text  possesses  when 
viewed  in  that  light !  But  as  you  speak  of  the  unpre 
cedented  circulation  of  the  Bible  among  all  people  at 
this  day,  allow  me  to  ask,  is  this  great  movement  of 
the  church  noticed  in  any  of  the  predictions  of  the 
ancient  prophets?  " 

"  Certainly,  judge  ;  it  is  noticed  very  particularly  by 
the  prophet  Isaiah,  in  the  third  verse  of  the  second  chap 
ter  of  his  book  :  'Out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law  and 
the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.'  Zion  and  Jeru 
salem  are  well-known  titles  of  the  visible  church.  The 
word  of  the  Lord,  his  law,  and  his  gospel  shall  go  forth, 
and  a  glorious  moral  revolution  shall  ensue.  Hear  the 
prophet  specify  the  particulars :  '  The  Lord's  house 
shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and 
exalted  above  the  hills.'  That  is,  the  worship  and  the 
service  of  God  shall  stand  higher  in  the  estimation  of 
men  than  every  earthly  interest.  Higher  than  politics, 
higher  than  commerce,  higher  than  agriculture,  the 
Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the 
mountains,  and  exalted  above  the  hills,  and  all  nations 
shall  flow  unto  it.  «  And  many  people  shall  go  and 
say,  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the 
Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob ;  and  he  will 
teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths. 
And  he  shall  judge  among  the  nations,  and  shall  rebuke 
many  people  ;  and  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into 
ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks : 
nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither 
shall  they  learn  war  any  more.' ' 

"  That  is,  indeed,"  answered  the  judge,  "  a  very 
notable  prediction  of  the  universal  circulation  of  the 
Bible  in  the  latter  day,  and  of  the  happy  results  that 


THE    MISSISSIPPI    JUDGE.  345 

shall  follow.  I  have  one  question  more.  Perhaps  you 
will  smile  when  I  mention  it.  Is  there  any  prediction 
of  railroad  travelling  and  steam  cars,  in  the  Bible  ?  " 

"  Prophecy  was  not  given  merely  to  entertain  or 
gratify  our  curiosity.  '  All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspi 
ration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  re 
proof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness.' 
And  yet,  in  answer  to  your  question,  the  student  of 
the  Bible,  when  he  beholds  the  long  trains  of  railroad 
cars,  each  bearing  six  or  eight  hundred  passengers, 
darting  by  each  other  with  the  speed  of  birds  on  the 
wing,  is  forcibly  reminded  of  the  prophecy  of  Daniel 
xii.  4 :  *  Many  shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge 
shall  be  increased.'  In  the  book  of  Nahum,  chap.  ii. 
verse  4,  there  is  this  remarkable  passage  :  '  The  chariots 
shall  rage  in  the  streets,  "they  shall  justle  one  against 
another  in  the  broad  ways :  they  shall  seem  like  torches, 
they  shall  run  like  the  lightnings.'1  Who  that  has 
travelled  in  these  conveyances  has  not  felt  them  *  justle 
one  against  another  in  the  broad  ways  '  ?  and  who  that 
has  looked  on  the  fiery  horses,  speeding  on  their  way 
in  the  night,  could  not  say,  l  they  seem  like  torches, 
they  run  like  lightning  '  ? 

"  Well,"  said  the  judge,  "  the  word  of  God  is  now 
to  me  a  source  of  great  delight.  .  But  O,  I  lived  many 
years  in  sin.  I  am  astonished  when  I  review  the  stu 
pidity  and  blindness  of  my  former  life.  I  lived  more 
than  forty  years  anxious  for  the  world,  and  careful 
about  my  reputation.  But  in  all  that  forty  years,  I 
had  not  spent  one  half  hour  in  trying  to  please  God. 
My  Creator,  my  Redeemer,  were  wholly  forgotten  and 
neglected.  When  my  mind  was  roused  to  look  at  the 
awful  fact,  I  could  scarcely  live  under  the  thought.  I 


. 
346  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

went  directly  to  our  minister,  and  asked  him  to  give 
me  the  earliest  opportunity  of  coming  before  the 
church  and  the  congregation,  and  confessing  my  shame 
and  sorrow  that  I  had  so  long  denied  Christ  before 
men,  and  neglected  the  great  salvation." 


GIDEON    BLACKBURN.  347 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    GIDEON 
BLACKBURN. 


GIDEON  BLACKBURN  was  in  the  prime  of  life  at  that  period 
when  the  great  revival  of  1800  visited  the  population 
of  the  western  country.  He  had  been  preaching,  it  is 
true,  quite  a  number  of  years  —  how  many  I  do  not 
exactly  know  —  before  the  commencement  of  that 
extraordinary  visitation  from  on  high  ;  but  the  portion 
of  time  embraced  between  the  years  1800  and  1830 
may  be  put  down  as  the  meridian  of  his  ministry. 
Most  of  the  great  events  of  his  life  appear  to  have 
occurred  between  those  dates  ;  while  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind,  that  both  the  morning  and  the  evening  of  his 
days  were  crowned  with  varied  and  extensive  useful 
ness.  A  full  and  faithful  record  of  the  great  and  good 
results  of  his  long  and  laborious  life  would  fill  the 
pages  of  a  very  voluminous  work.  A  mere  sketch  of 
a  few  important  facts  is  all  that  will  here  be  attempted. 
1.  His  Creator  had  bestowed  upon  him  an  exceed 
ingly  fine  person.  He  was  rather  above  the  middle 
size,  and  well  proportioned.  His  form  was  that  which 
unites  strength  and  activity  in  a  very  high  degree. 
Thus  it  was  that  the  "  Lord  of  the  harvest  "  had  evi 
dently  fitted  him  for  the  important  part  he  was  designed 
to  act  in  the  great  field  where  his  lot  was  cast.  The 


^ 
348  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

exposure  he  was  called  to  endure,  together  with  the 
arduous  and  multiplied  labors  that  devolved  upon  him, 
must  have  soon  crushed  a  man  of  ordinary  constitution. 
But  to  him  the  promise  was  made  good,  "  As  thy  days, 
so  shall  thy  strength  be."  While  as  yet  the  country 
was  very  new,  no  regular  roads  established,  and  the 
rivers  in  general  without  ferries,  he  traversed  almost 
every  part  of  the  great  west  where  settlements  had 
been  formed.  He  penetrated  the  canebrakes,  he  trav 
elled  through  the  wilderness,  he  swam  the  rivers, 
"always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord."  In 
very  many  of  the  newly-formed  neighborhoods,  he  was 
the  first  to  set  up  the  standard  of  his  divine  Master. 
Should  you  now  visit  Knoxville,  Nashville,  Gallatin, 
Huntsville,  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  or  almost  any  of  the 
prominent  cities  of  the  west,  and  inquire  of  the  aged 
people  concerning  the  state  of  the  church  at  the  period 
of  their  first  recollections,  you  will  hear  the  name  of 
Gideon  Blackburn  pronounced,  with  a  frequency  and 
a  fervor  of  enthusiasm  which  show  how  intimately  his 
life  and  labors  are  interwoven  with  the  early  religious 
history  of  those  sections  of  our  country. 

2.  He  had  a  singularly  captivating  countenance,  in 
which  benignity  and  authority  were  delightfully 
blended.  When  he  arose  in  the  house  of  God,  and 
cast  over  the  assembly  that  benevolent  and  command 
ing  look,  every  human  being  in  the  congregation  felt 
the  power  of  his  presence.  His  voice  was  musical  and 
attractive  to  an  extent  that  enabled  him  at  once  to  seize 
the  attention  of  any  company  or  crowd  which  he  under 
took  to  address.  In  the  court-yard,  or  in  the  market- 
house,  on  the  public  square,  or  on  the  crowded  wharf, 
wherever  the  tones  of  his  remarkable  voice  reached  the 


GIDEON    BLACKBURN.  349 

ear,  and  his  graceful  and  impressive  attitude  caught  the 
eye,  the  multitude  was  instantly  reduced  to  silence  and 
attention. 

The  venerable  Dr.  Griffin  has  remarked,  that  in 
attempting  to  promote  religion  among  the  careless  and 
the  ungodly,  the  first  great  object  at  which  we  should 
aim  is,  to  secure  "attention  "  to  the  gospel.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  a  leading  instrumentality  in  that  im 
mense  success  which  attended  the  preaching  of  Gideon 
Blackburn,  is  to  be  found  in  that  extraordinary  power, 
with  which  he  was  endowed  by  his  Creator,  for  arrest 
ing  the  attention  of  men.  Sinners  would  press  near  to 
him  in  crowds,  and  while  they  were  melted  into  tears, 
they  wished  those  overwhelming  addresses  to  continue. 
They  were  reluctant  to  have  the  meeting  close,  and 
the  opportunity  pass  away  :  even  children  would  de 
signedly  throw  themselves  in  his  way,  that  he  might 
say  a  word  to  them  concerning  the  salvation  of  their 
souls.  I  remember,  distinctly,  when  he  had  spent  a 
night  at  my  father's  house,  and  was  about  to  depart  in 
the  morning,  that  I,  though  then  very  young,  went 
out  and  took  his  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  stood  there 
till  he  came.  There  was  no  need  for  me  there  at  the 
horse's  bridle  ;  but  it  was  my  wish  to  throw  myself  ia 
the  good  man's  way,  that  he  might  speak  to  me  of  the 
great  salvation.  He  did  speak ;  and  not  only  the  sub 
stance  of  what  he  then  said,  but  the  very  words  in 
which  it  was  expressed,  are  indelibly  engraven  on  the 
tablet  of  my  heart. 

There  was  something    in    Blackburn's   manner  of 
preaching,  that  fastened  his  text,  for  life,  on  the  mem 
ory  of  his  hearers.  You  will  mark  this  peculiarity  when 
ever  you  hear  the  old  people,  at  this  day,  speak  of  his 
30 


•  *  '* 

350  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

preaching  ;  and  one  will  say,  "I  heard  Blackburn  preach 
at  Knoxville,  in  the  year  1805,  on  this  text,  (Ex.  xii. 
30  :)  l  And  there  was  a  great  cry  in  Egypt :  for  there 
was  not  a  house  where  there  was  not  one  dead.'  " 
Another  will  say,  "  I  shall  never  forget  the  sermon 
which  he  preached  at  Maryville,  in  1807,  on  the  text, 
(Ex.  xiv.  15,)  l  Speak  to  the  children  of  Israel,  that 
they  go  forward.'  "  A  third  will  speak  up,  "  I  heard  him 
at  Nashville,  in  1810,  and  his  text  was,  (John  i.  14,) 
i  And  the  word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us, 
and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  of  the  only  be 
gotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth.'  "  On  my 
arrival  in  Boston.  May,  1849,  I  found  venerable  old 
deacons  who  spoke  with  the  warmest  interest  of  the 
preaching  of  Blackburn  in  Boston,  as  early  as  the  year 
1802  or  3,  when  evangelical  religion  in  Boston  was  very 
low.  And  I  was  delighted  to  find  that  these  old  men 
could  yet  repeat  the  texts  on  which  those  discourses 
were  founded,  that  so  much  encouraged  and  revived 
the  people  of  God.  At  Ipswich,  in  Massachusetts,  I 
was^ addressed  thus  by  a  man  advanced  in  years :  — 

"  You  are  from  the  west  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  I  heard  a  man  from  your  country  preach, 
many  years  ago.  His  name  was  Blackburn.  I  shall 
never  forget  that  sermon.  His  text  was,  '  The  tree  of 
life,  that  bare  twelve  manner  of  fruits,  and  yielded  her 
fruit  every  month :  and  the  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations.'  "  (Rev.  xxii.  2.) 

I  know  no  reason  for  the  texts  on  which  he  preached 
being  so  accurately  and  so  long  remembered,  except 
that  his  preaching  abounded  in  exposition  of  the  sacred 
text.  His  aim  was,  to  place  the  truth,  the  beauty,  the 


GIDEON    BLACKBURN.  351 

grandeur  of  God's  word  in  a  clear  and  forcible  light 
before  his  audience  ;  and  this  he  accomplished  so  suc 
cessfully,  that  an  impression  was  made  on  the  minds 
of  his  hearers,  which  could  never  be  effaced. 

3.  A  strong  and  unwavering  confidence  in  God  was 
another  characteristic  of  Gideon  Blackburn.  For  this 
he  was  remarkable  when  young,  and  this  he  retained 
through  all  the  multiplied  vicissitudes  of  his  checkered 
and  eventful  life.  He  had  the  care  of  a  large  family, 
when  the  west  was  a  wilderness,  and  when  provision 
for  the  support  of  a  minister's  family  was  a  thing 
scarcely  known  j  yet,  by  his  remarkable  industry,  and 
his  firm  reliance  on  the  promises  of  a  covenant-keeping 
God,  he  was  enabled  to  bring  up  and  educate  that 
family,  so  that  its  members-  became  a  blessing  to  the 
church,  and  a  blessing  to  the  world.  All  his  children 
who  attained  maturity  made  an  early  consecration  of 
themselves  to  God  in  the  gospel.  Two  of  his  sons 
became  useful  ministers.  They  are  now  gone  from 
earth.  All  the  surviving  members  of  the  family  are 
adorning  the  gospel  which  their  father  preached,  by  an 
irreproachable  and  consistent  walk  and  conversation. 
How  should  our  hearts  rise  in  gratitude  to  God,  when 
he  sets  the  seal  of  his  divine  approbation  to  the  life 
and  labors  of  a  self-denying  minister,  by  crowning 
with  blessings  from  above  his  children,  and  his  chil 
dren's  children  !  I  have  repeatedly  visited  the  fartiily 
of  Gideon  Blackburn  since  he  has  been  called  to  "  go 
up  higher  "  in  the  temple  of  God.  I  have  looked 
upon  his  aged  widow.  I  have  looked  upon  his  surviv 
ing  children  and  grandchildren;  and  I  have  been 
pleasingly  reminded  of  that  precious  promise  which  the 
«  God  of  glory  "  gave  to  Abraham,  "  the  father  of  the 


352  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

faithful,"  —  "  1  will  bless  thee,  and  thou  shall  be  a 
blessing." 

The  venerable  Dr.  Clelland,  of  Kentucky,  gave 
me  this  anecdote  of  a  little  grandchild  of  Gideon 
Blackburn.  At  a  sacramental  meeting  in  Woodford 
county,  Kentucky,  when  the  elders  of  the  church  had 
met  to  converse  with  those  who  were  desirous  of  unit 
ing  with  the  body  of  professed  Christians,  among  other 
candidates  was  a  very  small  girl.  She  was  a  grand 
daughter  of  Blackburn.  Her  apparent  age  was  not 
more  than  six  or  seven  years.  Blackburn  was  modera 
tor  of  the  session,  and  conducted  the  examination. 
When  the  turn  of  this  little  girl  came,  her  answers 
were  most  satisfactory.  Her  profession  of  repentance 
for  sin  was  distinct  and  clear  ;  and  her  love  to  Christ, 
and  her  trust  in  him  for  pardon  and  salvation,  were 
expressed  in  the  most  appropriate  and  decided  terms. 
But  she  was  so  little  :  that  was  all  the  difficulty. 
Others  were  received  into  the  communion  of  the 
church  ;  but  she  was  advised  to  wait  longer.  After 
some  five  or  six  months,  another  communion  season 
came  round.  The  session  met.  Blackburn  again  was 
moderator.  A  number  of  applicants  appeared,  and 
among  them  this  same  little  girl  —  clear,  decided,  firm 
in  her  attachment  to  Christ  and  his  cause,  but  still  very 
small.  Again  she  was  advised  to  wait.  Some  months 
afteT  wards,  when  she  had  made  her  third  application, 
with  a  similar  result,  she  lifted  up  her  little  eyes,  swim 
ming  with  tears,  and  said,  "  Grandfather,  how  old 
must  I  be  before  I  can  love  the  Savior  ?  " 

It  should  here  be  remarked,  that  Blackburn's  views 
of  early  piety  were  scriptural  and  unwavering ;  but 
there  is  often  unbelief  in  the  church,  that  cramps  the 


GIDEON    BLACKBURN.  353 

minister ;  and  this  being  his  own  grandchild,  he 
thought  it  not  best  to  take  that  stand  which  he  would 
have  taken  in  the  case  of  another.  The  early  history 
of  this  little  girl  is  an  instance  of  the  blessing  which 
crowned  this  good  man's  family. 

4.  Gideon  Blackburn  was  distinguished  by  zeal  for 
the  advancement  of  the  gospel,  and  for  the  salvation 
of  men.  In  the  early  part  of  his  ministry,  there  was 
little  or  no  support  provided  by  the  church  for  the 
family  of  a  minister.  Like  the  apostle  Paul,  Black 
burn  labored  with  his  own  hands  for  the  supply  of  the 
temporal  wants  of  his  family,  while  he  kept  the  banner 
of  the  Redeemer  constantly  unfurled.  I  have  heard 
his  neighbors  tell  how  he  would  maul  two  hundred 
rails  in  the  fore  part  of  the  day,  and  then  mount  his 
horse,  and  ride  twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  some  little  assembly  of  plain  people  in  the 
evening.  Sometimes  he  labored  on  a  farm,  some 
times  he  taught  school,  to  sustain  a  dependent  family  ; 
but  the  fire  of  divine  love  burned  continually  on  the 
altar  of  his  heart,  and  the  "  trumpet  of  the  gospel " 
was  ever  at  his  mouth ;  and  verily,  when  blown  by 
him,  it  gave  no  "uncertain  sound."  When,  at  the  age 
of  eight  or  nine  years,  I  sat  under  his  ministry,  and 
felt  the  impressiveness  and  power  of  his  awful  appeals, 
repeatedly  was  I  reminded  of  the  record  that  is  given 
of  the  preaching  of  his  divine  Master  —  "  The  people 
were  astonished  at  his  doctrine  ;  for  he  taught  them  as 
one  having  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes."  (Matt. 
vii.  28,  29.)  I  distinctly  remember  a  conversation 
among  some  intelligent  Virginians,  after  they  had  at 
tended  one  of  Blackburn's  overwhelming  discourses. 
They  spoke  of  the  preaching  of  the  celebrated  William 
30* 


354  THE    WESTERN     SKETCH-BOOK. 

Graham,  so  long  and  so  extensively  a  blessing  to  the 
churches  in  Virginia.  They  spoke  of  the  preaching 
of  James  Waddell,  the  noted  blind  preacher.  Some  of 
their  number  had  sat  under  the  ministry  of  both  of 
these  distinguished  men  ;  and  after  commending  these 
favored  servants  of  God  in  very  exalted  terms,  their 
conversation  was  directed  to  Blackburn,  to  whose  dis 
course  they  had  just  been  attending  ;  and  one  then 
made  an  observation  which  I  shall  remember  to  the 
close  of  life.  Speaking  of  Blackburn,  he  said,  "  Indeed, 
he  is  the  great  Elijah  of  our  day." 

Beyond  a  doubt,  if  future  generations  receive  an 
accurate  history  of  our  country,  Gideon  Blackburn  will 
be  regarded  as  the  early  "  apostle  of  the  west."  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  pronouncing,  that  Isaac  Anderson, 
John  McCampbell,  David  Nelson,  and  many  others  who 
have  risen  to  great  usefulness  and  distinction  in  the 
church  of  God,  were  much  aided  and  blessed,  in  the 
commencement  of  their  ministry,  by  the  beams  that 
streamed  forth  from  that  "  burning  and  shining  light  " 
which  a  gracious  God  had  kindled  up  in  the  heart  of 
the  west,  in  the  very  morning  of  its  Christian  history. 
And,  with  ample  justice  to  all  the  excellent  men  that 
have  since  appeared,  —  the  Joshuas,  the  Samuels,  and 
the  Nathans  that  have  blessed  the  western  church  at  a 
later  day,  —  I  may  apply  to  this  subject  the  words  of 
inspiration  — "  There  arose  not  a  prophet  since  in 
Israel  like  unto  Moses,  whom  the  Lord  knew  face  to 
face." 

In  conclusion,  I  must  record  two  notable  illustrations 
of  the  zeal  of  Blackburn  in  his  Master's  service.  The 
first  is  the  case  of  John  Glocester,  a  colored  man,  arid 
a  slave.  In  the  revival  of  1800,  John  was  a  convert. 


GIDEON    BLACKBURN. 


Pious  slaves  often  took  part  in  the  prayer  meetings  of 
those  days.  John  was  very  able  and  edifying  in  his 
prayers.  Blackburn  heard  John  offer  up  a  prayer  in 
more  instances  than  one.  He  also  heard  some  of  his 
attempts  at  exhortation  ;  and  he  concluded  that  if  John 
had  his  liberty,  and  were  properly  educated,  he  might 
be  useful  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  especially  among 
his  own  people.  "  Immediately  he  conferred  not  with 
flesh  and  blood."  His  maxim  was,  "  Whatever  ought 
to  be  done  can  be  done."  Soon  John  Glocester  had 
his  liberty.  In  due  time,  he  received  a  respectable 
education,  and  became  an  ordained  minister.  His 
career  was  one  of  eminent  usefulness.  In  a  few  years, 
he  settled  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  collected  a 
church  of  colored  people.  In  the  year  1819,  when  I 
first  attended  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby 
terian  church,  I  found  John  Glocester  in  Philadelphia, 
at  the  head  of  a  large  and  respectable  African  church. 
I  attended  a  communion  season  with  them.  The 
communicants  were  in  number  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  ;  and,  on  the  same  day,  eleven  well-dressed  colored 
infants  were  brought  before  the  congregation,  and 
solemnly  dedicated  to  God  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism. 
I  was  deeply  affected  by  this  tender  and  impressive 
scene.  There  was  much  of  the  venerable  and  the 
apostolic  about  John  Glocester.  He  possessed  in  the 
pulpit  extraordinary  eloquence  and  power.  He  has 
long  since  gone  to  his  reward. 

The  other  example  of  enlightened  zeal  to  which  I 
referred,  is  found  in  the  efforts  of  Blackburn  in  the 
cause  of  foreign  missions.  Long  before  the  American 
Board,  or  the  General  Assembly's  Board,  was  formed, 
or  thought  of,  this  man  of  prodigious,  heaven-born  en- 


356  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

terprise  had  planted  Christian  schools  at  a  number  of 
important  points  among  the  Indians  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Tennessee  River.  Although  the  cry  for  his 
labors  came  up  from  every  quarter  of  the  American 
settlements  that  were  then  forming  in  the  west,  yet,  in 
the  ardor  of  his  naming  zeal,  he  would  cross  the  great 
river,  and,  by  the  aid  of  an  interpreter,  tell  to  listening 
and  weeping  multitudes  of  copper-colored  savages  the 
story  of  God's  wondrous  love  to  sinful  man,  and  how 
the  beloved  Son  of  God  agonized  in  Gethsemane,  and 
suffered  on  the  cross,  that  our  souls  might  be  redeemed 
from  death.  These  early  missionary  eiforts  were 
warmly  sanctioned  by  Return  J.  Meigs,  Indian  agent 
of  the  general  government  at  that  period.  The  schools 
were  afterwards  patronized  by  the  general  assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  It  is  believed  that  much 
good  was  accomplished  ;  but  the  entire  results  can  only 
be  known  when  the  books  are  opened  in  the  great  day. 
Rev.  Charles  Coffin,  D.  D.,  who  was  a  disciple  of 
Dr.  Samuel  Spring,  of  Newburyport,  Mass.,  gave  me 
the  following  anecdote  of  Blackburn  :  When  quite  a 
young  man,  he  was  travelling  in  one  of  the  Atlantic 
states.  He  had  been  desired  by  some  of  the  people  of 
a  certain  village  or  town  to  preach  them  a  sermon.  He 
consented,  and  when  he  was  able  to  fix  on  the  time,  he 
sent  an  appointment  to  the  place,  never  dreaming  but 
that  it  would  be  acceptable  to  the  resident  minister, 
should  there  be  one,  that  the  people  should  hear  the 
gospel  from  the  lips  of  another  witness  of  Jesus,  as 
well  as  from  himself.  Blackburn  himself  had  much  of 
the  spirit  manifested  by  Moses,  when  Eldad  arid  Medad 
prophesied  in  the  camp,  and  a  young  man  came  and 
said,  "  My  lord  Moses,  forbid  them."  And  Moses  said, 


^•^          GIDEON    BLACKBURN.  357 

"  Enviest  thou  for  my  sake  ?  Would  God  that  all  the 
Lord's  people  were  prophets,  and  that  the  Lord  would 
put  his  spirit  upon  them."  (Num.  xi.  29.)  Such  was 
the  spirit  of  Moses  ;  but  not  so  was  it  with  the  presiding 
genius  of  the  village  above  mentioned.  He  seemed 
rather  to  be  animated  by  the  spirit  of  Daniel's  ram, 
which  the  prophet  so  graphically  describes,  (Dan.  viii. 
4:)  "  I  saw  the  ram  pushing  westward,  and  north 
ward,  and  southward,  so  that  no  beast  might  stand 
before  him."  This  man  received  Blackburn's  note, 
but  refused  to  make  the  appointment.  Blackburn  came 
at  the  specified  time,  and  learning  that  the  minister  had 
refused  to  give  publicity  to  his  appointment,  he  went 
to  his  house  and  inquired  for  the  facts  of  the  case. 
The  minister  attempted  to  be  very  dry,  distant,  digni 
fied,  and  told  him  that  he  was  not  willing  that  he 
should  preach  to  the  people  at  that  place,  and  therefore 
he  had  refused  to  make  any  appointment.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  Blackburn's  person  was  remarkable 
for  elegance  and  gracefulness,  and  that  he  had  a  pres 
ence  of  peculiar  solemnity  and  power.  As  soon  as  he 
was  told  how  his  proposal  to  preach  had  been  rejected, 
he  arose  and  stood  for  several  seconds  in  the  most  sol 
emn  attitude,  right  in  front  of  the  now  fluttered  and 
agitated  man  of  dignity.  "  Sir,'"  said  he,  "  I  have  a 
very  painful  duty  to  perform,  but  it  is  imperatively 
enjoined  by  my  Lord  and  Master.  When  he  sent  forth 
his  disciples  to  preach  the  everlasting  gospel  to  dying 
men,  he  laid  upon  them  this  command  :  l  Whosoever 
will  not  receive  you,  nor  hear  your  words,  shake  off 
the  dust  of  your  feet  for  a  testimony  against  them.' 
Sir,  as  a  rejected  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
I  shake  off  the  dust  of  my  feet  for  a  testimony 


358  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

against  you  !  "  As  he  thus  spoke,  he  extended,  in  his 
own  impressive  manner,  the  right  foot,  and  shook  it 
with  a  deliberate  solemnity  that  was  awful.  He  then 
extended  the  left  foot,  and  shook  it  in  like  manner  j 
then  turning  entirely  away,  he  left  the  important 
"  place  man  "  to  his  own  meditations.  This  minister's 
name  was  Flint.  "  Sir,"  said  Dr.  Coffin,  when  he 
told  me  the  story,  "  Flint  as  he  was,  the  performance 
of  this  awful  duty  by  Gideon  Blackburn  made  him 
turn  as  white  as  ashes." 


CAMP    MEETINGS.  359 


CAMP    MEETINGS. 


THE  origin  of  camp  meetings  in  the  United  States 
was  among  the  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
They  were  first  held  in  Logan  county,  Kentucky, 
during  the  revival  of  1800.  The  multitudes  which 
came  together  were  so  great,  that  accommodations 
could  not  be  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  place 
of  worship.  Many  of  these  people  had  recently  re 
moved  to  the  west  from  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  or 
Pennsylvania.  On  the  road,  while  they  were  removing, 
they  had  camped  out,  and  cooked  their  own  provisions, 
and  provided  their  own  lodgings.  The  idea  originated 
among  them,  during  the  great  revival,  that  they  could 
camp  out  near  the  place  of  worship,  and  take  care  of 
themselves,  as  well  as  they  had  done  on  the  road,  while 
on  their  journey.  The  experiment  succeeded  admira 
bly.  The  country  being  new,  this  mode  of  holding 
large  meetings  seemed  peculiarly  adapted  to  their  cir 
cumstances.  Indeed,  it  was  believed  to  possess  a 
striking  resemblance  to  the  "  feast  of  tabernacles  "  in 
the  Old  Testament  church.  Moreover,  these  meetings 
were  crowned  with  precious  divine  blessings.  Among 
the  Presbyterians  of  the  west  and  south,  also  the  Meth 
odists,  the  Baptists,  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  and 
other  denominations,  such  meetings  have  been  held, 
with  great  and  good  results.  In  many  parts  of  the  west 


360  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

and  south,  they  have  now  worshipped  in  this  manner, 
occasionally,  for  the  space  of  fifty  years.  During  that 
extensive  and  powerful  revival  in  the  state  of  Ohio, 
from  1828  till  1831,  quite  a  number  of  camp  meetings 
were  held,  at  which  many  thousands  assembled  to  wor 
ship  God.  One  of  the  ministers  engaged  in  these 
meetings  spoke  on  the  subject  thus  :  — 

"  The  camp  meetings  in  Ohio  were  not  undertaken 
without  much  serious  and  prayerful  deliberation.  The 
ministers  of  Jesus  Christ  in  that  country  saw,  with 
much  concern,  an  immense  population  spreading  over 
the  land,  while  the  regular  preaching  of  the  gospel 
was  neglected  by  at  least  two  thirds  of  this  living  mul 
titude.  They  also  saw  a  deep,  dark,  blaspheming 
infidelity,  rolling  far  and  wide  through  the  country, 
scoffing  at  the  Bible,  cursing  religious  tracts,  tram 
pling  on  the  Sabbath,  and  breathing  out  bitterness 
against  all  that  is  sacred.  They  saw  that  if  the 
deadly  pestilence  was  suffered  to  spread  and  extend 
its  pernicious  influence  a  few  years  longer,  not  only 
would  our  religious  institutions  be  destroyed,  but  our 
civil  liberties  would  be  jeopardized ;  the  monster  would 
break  down  our  churches,  set  up  the  guillotine,  and  dip 
its  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  innocent,  as  deep  as-  did 
the  infidels  of  France  during  the  '  Reign  of  Terror.' 
They  felt  that  something  must  be  done  to  arrest  the 
conquests  of  the  enemy,  who  was  '  coming  in  like  a 
flood ; '  and  the  only  weapon  with  which  they  could 
successfully  oppose  him,  was  *  the  sword  of  the  Spirit, 
which  is  the  word  of  God.'  And  as  the  multitudes, 
among  whom  the  plague  was  raging,  could  not  be 
assembled  in  the  regular  houses  of  worship,  the  l  sol 
diers  of  the  cross  '  resolved  to  take  the  field  '  in  the 


^        '*  CAMP    MEETINGS.  361 

name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of 
Israel.'  Preparations  were  made,  seats  in  a  shady  grove 
sufficient  to  accommodate  a  vast  assembly,  and  a  '  pul 
pit  of  wood,'  erected.  The  day  appointed  arrived, 
1  and  all  the  people  came  out  hy  hundreds  and  by 
thousands.'  It  was  a  season  '  of  the  right  hand  of  the 
Most  High.'  The  tide  of  war  was  rolled  back  from 
the  gates  of  Zion,  and  trembling  was  in  the  camp  of 
the  enemy.  The  infidel  renounced  his  blasphemy ; 
the  Universalist  fled  from  his  refuge  of  lies  ;  the  gray- 
headed  sinner  cast  himself  at  the  feet  of  the  Savior  ; 
and  infant  voices  were  heard  proclaiming,  *  Hosanna  to 
the  Son  of  David  !  Blessed  is  the  King  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  !  ' 

"  Meeting  after  meeting  of  this  description  was  held. 
The  everlasting  gospel  was  preached,  the  blessing  of 
God  sent  down,  sinners  converted,  the  church  made 
glad,  and  heaven  filled  with  rejoicing." 

"  Look  at  the  example  of  our  blessed  Savior.  He 
might  have  preached  every  Sabbath  in  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  if  he  had  chosen  ;  but  he  did  not.  On 
one  Sabbath,  he  preached  in  the  temple  ;  on  another, 
he  preached  on  a  mountain  ;  at  another  time,  he  en 
tered  a  boat,  and  thrust  out  a  little  from  the  shore,  and 
taught  the  people  from  thence  ;  at  times,  we  find  him 
in  the  wilderness,  or  in  the  grove,  surrounded  by  many 
thousands,  who  had  nothing  better  to  sit  on  than  the 
green  grass.  Nor  did  these  crowds  come  out  in  the 
morning  from  their  homes,  and  return  the  same  even 
ing  ;  but  they  continued  together  day  after  day,  to 
hear  the  Savior's  words.  At  one  time,  we  learn  that 
they  continued  with  him  three  days,  where  they  had 
nothing  to  eat ;  and  how  much  longer  they  continued 
31 


362  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

on  other  occasions,  when  they  had  made  better  prepa 
rations,  we  are  not  told.  I  have  no  doubt,  that  while 
the  Savior  designed  the  miracles  that  he  wrought  to 
confirm  his  divine  mission  in  the  view  of  all  inquirers, 
he,  at  the  same  time,  designed  those  miracles  to  wake 
up  the  public  mind,  and  excite  attention,  that  the  people 
might  come  together,  that  he  might  have  an  oppor 
tunity  of  preaching  to  them  the  word  of  God.  Ac 
cordingly,  we  find,  when  he  began  his  wonderful 
works,  that  '  his  fame  went  throughout  all  Syria. 
And  there  followed  him  great  multitudes  of  people 
from  Galilee,  and  from  Decapolis,  and  from  Jerusalem, 
and  from  Judea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan.'  The  im 
mense  results  of  the  Savior's  ministry  to  these  vast 
congregations  are  amongst  the  things  that  *  are  not 
written '  in  the  New  Testament ;  but,  doubtless,  the 
disclosures  of  the  great  day  will  show  that  they  were 
worthy  of  the  time  and  labor  thus  devoted. 

"  Now,  if  we  wish  all  the  inhabitants  of  our  land  to 
feel  the  blessed  influences  of  the  gospel,  we  must  be 
willing,  after  the  example  of  our  Savior,  to  bring  vast 
multitudes  together,  and  let  them  remain  together  day 
after  day,  and  preach  to  them  the  word  of  life.  This 
must  be  done,  this  will  be  done,  before  all  flesh  sees 
the  salvation  of  God. 

"  In  this  age  of  benevolent  effort,  Christians  and 
Christian  ministers  are  doing  much  to  push  forward  the 
tract  cause,  the  Bible  cause,  the  Sunday  school  cause, 
&c.  ;  but  we  have  not  made  corresponding  efforts  to 
push  forward  the  preaching  cause,  and  yet  it  is  by  the 
foolishness  of  preaching  that  God  is  pleased  to  save 
them  that  believe.  While  we  have  been  solicitous  to 
prepare  the  way  for  the  salvation  of  the  rising  genera- 


CAMP    MEETINGS 


tion  by  Sabbath  schools,  and  the  education  of  suitable 
young  men  for  the  ministry,  have  we  done  as  much 
for  the  present  generation  as  we  ought?  Have  we 
employed  the  ministers  now  in  the  field  to  the  best- 
advantage  ?  Without  slacking  the  hand  in  any  other 
good  work,  can  we  not  make  a  more  vigorous  effort  to 
save  the  present  generation,  who  are  past  the  period 
for  Sabbath  schools,  and  who  must  die,  many  of  them, 
before  the  young  men  now  in  a  course  of  education 
can  enter  the  field  ?  Yes,  let  a  great  effort  be  made  to 
save  the  present  generation." 

CAMP  MEETING  ANECDOTE. 

Great  care  was  taken  to  preserve  good  order  among 
the  thousands  that  came  together  at  our  camp  meet 
ings.  This  was  essential  to  the  accomplishment  of 
good.  It  was  also  of  great  importance  because  of  the 
enemy ;  for  there  were  many  watching,  eager  to  find 
fault,  and  raise  the  cry  that  our  meetings  were  scenes 
of  confusion  and  disorder.  I  would  just  here  quote 
the  remark  of  the  venerable  "  skeleton  preacher,"  that 
fault-finding  is  an  easy  business.  It  can  be  set  up  with 
a  very  small  capital.  It  requires  neither  genius  nor 
talent,  neither  education  nor  goodness,  to  fit  out  a  fault 
finder  in  business.  I  have  seen  men  of  little  or  no 
valuable  endowments,  —  men  who  were  scarcely  worth 
a  straw  for  any  useful  undertaking,  or  any  effort  at 
doing  good,  —  who  were,  nevertheless,  capital  fault 
finders,  and  could  make  themselves  noisy  and  conspic 
uous  in  opposing  the  labors  of  others.  Fault-finding  — 
I  repeat  it  —  is  a  business  that  can  be  set  ^p  on  "very 
small  capital."  Our  plan  was,  to  have  seats  prepared 


364  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

for  all  who  might  attend,  and  then,  from  the  com 
mencement  of  the  public  worship,  require  all  the  con 
gregation  to  be  seated.  There  is  little  difficulty  in 
preserving  good  order  during  worship  in  the  largest 
assembly,  if  they  are  comfortably  seated  j  but  if  they 
are  compelled  to  stand  up,  there  is  danger  that  they 
may  begin  to  whisper  and  talk  among  themselves,  and 
thus  become  disorderly. 

I  had  been  called  by  the  brethren  to  preside  over  the 
camp  meeting  at  Sharon,  in  1831.  It  had  been  in 
progress  from  Thursday  noon  until  Saturday  night. 
The  whole  scene  had  been  solemn  and  delightful.  The 
preaching  was  enlightened,  captivating,  and  powerful. 
The  seasons  of  prayer  and  praise  were  edifying  and 
precious.  The  Holy  Spirit  brooded  over  the  assembly. 
The  awakened  sinner  exclaimed,  "  Surely  God  is  in 
this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not !  "  and  the  young  convert 
answered,  "  This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God, 
and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." 

Saturday  night  had  come.  The  lamps  were  lighted, 
and  suspended  to  the  trees  that  stood  here  and  there 
through  the  camp  ground,  and  the  seats  before  the  pulpit 
were  occupied  by  perhaps  about  two  thousand  people. 
But  the  congregation  was  not  yet  complete.  New  acces 
sions  were  pouring  in  continually,  and  our  custom  was 
to  occupy  those  who  first  collected  with  short  addresses, 
and  seasons  of  praise  and  prayer,  until  the  assembly 
was  full,  and  then  we  would  have  a  regular  sermon. 
During  these  preliminary  services,  a  number  of  young 
men  clustered  around  a  tall  sugar-tree  that  stoo'd  some 
twenty  steps  from  the  pulpit,  and  commenced  a  low- 
toned  conversation.  There  was  no  palpable  proof  that 
they  meant  to  be  rude  ;  but  stilHheir  position,  right  bv 


CAMP    MEETINGS.  365 

the  congregation  of  worshippers,  and  the  hum  of  their 
continued  conversation,  was  quite  an  annoyance.  A 
statement  was  now  made  aloud  from  the  pulpit,  that 
the  rules  of  our  meeting  required  that  all  who  met  with 
us  should  be  seated  during  the  hours  of  public  worship, 
and  the  hope  was  expressed,  that  with  this  regulation 
all  would  cheerfully  comply ;  but  the  cluster  around 
the  tree  remained  unmoved,  and  the  hum  of  their  con 
versation  seemed  rather  to  rise  than  fall.  It  was  now 
quite  a  disturbance,  and  had  all  the  appearance  of  being 
the  result  of  a  preconcerted  plan  to  give  us  trouble. 
Yet  I  wished,  if  possible,  to  get  them  seated  and 
silenced  without  the  necessity  of  a  public  rebuke.  Rev. 
Mr.  Stafford,  of  North  Carolina,  was  there.  I  requested 
him  to  make  an  address  to  the  assembly,  of  about'  ten 
minutes'  length  ;  for  the  people  were  still  collecting, 
and  the  hour  for  the  sermon  had  not  yet  come.  Mr. 
Stafford's  address  was  appropriate  and  powerful.  The 
congregation  were  interested,  but  not  a  man  in  the 
circle  round  that  tree  moved  or  sat  down,  and  the  vex 
atious  hum  evidently  increased.  Mr.  Cressey,  of  Salem, 
Indiana,  was  then  requested  to  make  a  short  address. 
Brother  Cressey  is  now  in  glory.  His  address  was 
admirable.  The  congregation  hung  on  his  lips  with 
rapture  and  astonishment.  He  sat  down  j  but  around 
that  tree  the  ring  was  unbroken,  and  their  disorderly 
conversation  was  still  kept  up.  A  hymn  was  sung  at 
the  close  of  Mr.  Cressey's  exhortation,  and  during  the 
hymn,  I  left  the  pulpit  and  took  a  seat  in  the  crowd, 
half  way  from  the  pulpit  to  the  circle  around  the  tree. 
At  the  close  of  the  hymn,  I  arose  and  said,  "  I  have 
,  long  endeavored  to  avoid  giving  any  public  rebuke  for 
the  improper  conduct  of  an  individual  at  a  place  of 
31* 


366  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

public  worship.  I  believe  the  practice  generally  does 
more  harm  than  good,  and  therefore  I  have  shunned  it. 
But  now  I  am  about  to  depart,  for  once,  from  my  long- 
established  practice.  There  was  an  individual  here 
this  morning  that  came  for  no  good.  Indeed,  I  under 
stand  that  he  came  with  the  preconcerted  design  to  do 
mischief,  and  make  all  the  trouble  he  can.  He  was  on 
the  ground  this  afternoon.  He  is  a  very  bad  character, 
and  I  learn  that  he  is  here  to-night.  I  am  not  speaking 
at  random.  I  have  documents  in  my  possession  to 
establish  every  word  that  I  say.  And  as  this  matter  of 
exposing  an  individual  is  somewhat  trying,  I  mean  to 
make  thorough  work  now,  as  I  have  undertaken  it,  and 
I  will  tell  you  his  name  before  I  have  done.  Now,  I 
wish  you  all  to  sit  down,"  waving  my  hand  to  those 
around  the  tree.  Instantly  the  tree  was  deserted ; 
every  man  was  seated  and  profoundly  silent.  During 
a  pause  here  of  some  seconds,  the  interest  was  intense. 
Father  Thomson  and  the  ministers  in  the  pulpit 
thought  I  was  acting  most  rashly.  They  thought  it 
likely  that  the  individual  alluded  to,  as  soon  as  he 
should  be  named,  would  reply,  and  try  to  raise  a  party 
in  his  own  defence,  and  that  most  likely  a  row  would 
ensue.  They  seemed  to  catch  their  breath  in  the 
thrilling  anxiety  of  the  moment.  I  then  proceeded  :  — 

"  The  individual  to  whom  I  allude  is  a  liar,  a  most 
notorious  liar,  and  I  am  able  to  prove  it  on  him  by  testi 
mony  that  none  of  you  will  dispute :  further,  he  is  a 
thief!" 

"  O  !  O  !  O  !  "  said  low  voices  in  the  crowd. 

"  Yes,  he  is  a  thief ;  and  more  than  all  this,  he  is  a 
murderer !  " 

"  O,  that  is  too  bad !  "  said  low  voices  in  the 
crowd. 


CAMP    MEETINGS.  367 

"No,  it's  not  too  bad.  I  tell  you  he  is  a  murderer. 
I  have  the  proof  at  hand.  He  is  a  murderer  from  the 
beginning.  The  proof  to  which  I  refer  you  is  con 
tained  in  the  New  Testament,  and  the  name  of  this 
disorderly  and  troublesome  individual  is  the  Devil." 
Rarely  has  the  name  of  the  devil  brought  relief  to  so 
many  anxious  minds  as  on  this  occasion.  The  deep, 
long  respiration,  denoting  that  the  burden  was  gone, 
could  be  distinctly  heard  from  the  pulpit,  and  from 
many  in  the  crowd.  I  then,  in  few  words,  told  them 
that  the  Scriptures  warned  them  to  beware  of  their  ad 
versary,  the  devil  —  that  he  is  exceedingly  malignant,* 
the  great  foe  of  God  and  man  —  that  he  is  very  power 
ful,  having  no  less  than  the  tremendous  energies  of 
"  archangel  ruined  "  —  that  he  goeth  about  as  a  roaring 
lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour.  Thus  this  address 
was  speedily  wound  up  ;  and  then  we  had  a  sermon 
from  another  minister,  to  a  very  silent  and  attentive 
congregation,  all  seated  in  the  most  orderly  manner. 

I  had  almost  forgotten  the  above  incident,  and  per 
haps  it  would  have  faded  entirely  from  the  pages  of 
memory ;  but,  some  eight  or  nine  years  afterward, 
Dr.  McKinney,  now  of  Southern  Missouri,  came  to 
my  house  at  St.  Charles.  "  Do  you  remember,"  said 
he,  "  the  company  of  men  at  the  Sharon  camp  meet 
ing,  in  Ohio,  who  gathered  around  the  sugar-tree,  and 
kept  talking  after  the  commencement  of  worship,  and 
refused  to  sit  down  when  requested  ?  " 

"  You  remind  me  of  the  circumstance,"  said  I. 

"  Well,"  said  the  doctor,  "  I  was  one  of  that  com 
pany.  I  was  not  then  a  professor  of  religion  ;  indeed, 
I  was  very  far  from  it.  A  number  of  us  had  come 
down  from  Oxford.  Gay,  thoughtless  young  men,  we 


368  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

had  high  notions  of  our  consequence  and  independence 
and  thought  we  were  entitled  to  do  very  much  as  we 
pleased.  We  had  been  somewhat  stiff,  stubborn,  and 
unruly  through  the  day,  though  no  public  notice  had 
been  taken  of  us.  I  aspired  to  be  something  of  a 
leader  among  those  associates  ;  and  we  had  formed  a 
mutual  league,  that  we  would  stand  shoulder  to  shoul 
der.  When  you  commenced  speaking  of  the  individual 
that  had  come  there  for  no  good,  but  with  the  purpose 
of  being  troublesome,  I  began  strongly  to  suspect  that 
the  reference  was  to  me.  The  further  the  description 
advanced,  the  more  exactly  it  appeared  to  fit  my  case. 
I  became  greatly  alarmed,  insomuch  that  even  when 
those  severe  charges  were  made,  l  the  liar,'  i  the  thief,' 
'  the  murderer,'  conscience  told  me  1  was  guilty  of  all. 
I  had  been  false  to  God.  I  had  vowed,  and  basely 
broken  my  vows.  As  a  sinner,  I  had  robbed  God  ; 
and  I  deserved  the  charge.  I  had  indulged  hatred 
against  my  brother ;  and  God  calls  such  a  murderer  in 
the  heart.  I  was  awfully  agitated ;  and  when  you 
said  that  you  would  tell  the  name  of  the  offender,  I 
fully  calculated  that  my  name  would  presently  be 
called  out  before  the  whole  assembly.  When  you 
requested  the  company  to  be  seated,  I  was  down  in  a 
moment ;  and  never  was  I  more  relieved  than  when 
told  that  the  offender  was  the  devil ;  and  never  was  I 
better  pleased  than  when  I  found  nothing  more  re 
quired  of  me  than  to  keep  my  seat,  and  keep  quiet, 
and  listen  to  a  good  sermon." 

Such  was  the  narrative  of  Dr.  McKinney  ;  and  the 
reader  should  know  that  he  was  now  a  Christian  min 
ister,  preaching  "  that  faith  which  once  he  destroyed." 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.          369 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  DR.  DAVID 
NELSON. 


LETTER    TO    A    FRIEND    IN    THE   EAST. 

"  DEAR  BROTHER, — 

"  You  inform  me  that  you  have  been  greatly 
interested  in  perusing  the  volume  entitled  *  The  Cause 
and  Cure  of  Infidelity,'  by  Dr.  Nelson.  You  desire  to 
know  whether  he  has  left  any  other  writings  than 
those  contained  in  the  book  already  named  j  and  you 
further  wish  to  be  informed  of  the  state  of  religious 
society  at  the  west,  in  which  such  a  man  arose,  lived, 
and  labored.  Dr.  Nelson  has  left  other  theological 
writings,  of  great  value,  which  have  been  in  my  pos 
session  since  the  period  of  his  death.  I  design  soon 
to  give  them  to  the  public.  It  shall  now  be  my  aim 
in  this  letter,  and  the  articles  connected  with  it,  to  give 
you  some  such  sketches  of  his  life  and  times  as  may 
be  for  general  edification.  Having  been  born  and  edu 
cated  in  the  same  neighborhood  with  Dr.  Nelson",  grad 
uated  at  the  same  college,  licensed  and  ordained  to  the 
gospel  ministry  by  the  same  presbytery,  and  for  many 
years  associated  with  him  as  co-editor  of  the  Calvinistic 
Magazine,  and  fellow-laborer  in  preaching  the  gospel 
in  the  great  and  growing  west,  I  gladly  avail  myself 
of  this  opportunity  to  '  speak  that  which  I  know,  and 
testify  that  which  I  have  seen.' 


370  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  The  parents  of  Dr.  Nelson  settled  in  Washington 
county,  East  Tennessee,  at  a  very  early  day  in  the 
history  of  that  country.  His  father,  Henry  Nelson, 
was,  for  many  of  the  later  years  of  his  life,  a  ruling 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Kelsey.  Her  family  stood  high  for  intelli 
gence  and  respectability.  Dr.  David  Nelson  was  bom 
in  the  year  1793  —  in  which  month  of  that  year  I 
have  not  the  means  of  knowing. 

"  Although  the  Indians  were  hostile  at  this  period, 
a  number  of  pious  families  had  associated  together, 
and  formed  a  Christian  church.  Their  preacher  was 
Rev.  Samuel  Doak,  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College, 
during  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Witherspoon.  This 
worthy  and  venerable  man  had  emigrated  to  East  Ten 
nessee  from  the  valley  of  Virginia,  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  revolutionary  war  ;  and  he  had  collected  some 
two  or  three  little  churches,  in  contiguous  neighbor 
hoods.  Among  these  he  labored  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  devoted  a  por 
tion  of  his  attention  to  the  instruction  of  youth. 
He  founded,  at  this  early  day,  a  literary  institution, 
known,  at  first,  as  Martin  Academy,  but  ultimately  as 
Washington  College,  which  proved  a  source  of  rich 
and  lasting  blessing  to  the  church,  and  to  civil  society. 
And  now,  since  this  worthy  old  patriarch  has  entered 
into  his  rest,  we  contemplate  with  amazement  the  im 
mense  results  of  his  life  and  labors.  Without  support 
as  a  minister,  without  patronage  as  a  teacher,  he  toiled 
on,  amidst  difficulties  and  discouragements,  through 
a  period  of  more  than  fifty  years.  He  cultivated  a 
farm,  and  kept  a  boarding-house,  for  the  support  of  his 
family,  while  as  a  preacher  and  teacher  he  labored 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.          371 

abundantly.  As  a  herald  of  the  gospel,  he  was  remark 
ably  efficient.  The  great  Head  of  the  church  set 
many  seals  to  his  ministry,  in  '  souls  renewed  and  sins 
forgiven,'  through  all  the  surrounding  country,  while 
many  eminent  lawyers,  physicians,  and  statesmen  were 
trained  under  his  instructions  ;  and  the  ministers  of 
the  gospel  educated  by  him  have  proved  a  rich  blessing 
to  the  church,  in,  perhaps,  every  one  of  the  Western 
and  Southern  States.  Faithful  servant  of  Zion's  God  ! 
though  gone  to  thy  reward  in  glory,  thou  art  not  for 
gotten  in  the  church  below  ;  and  while  we  embalm 
thy  memory  in  our  hearts,  we  will  tell  to  generations 
following  of  that  divine  goodness  which  crowned  thy 
abundant  labors  with  such  triumphant  success. 

"  The  early  days  of  the  west  are  gone.  No  future 
generation  can  arise,  and  witness  what  their  fathers 
have  seen.  Now,  the  steamboat,  with  its  travelling 
multitude,  is  on  the  bosom  of  our  long  rivers.  Now, 
the  hand  of  cultivation  is  stretched  out  over  our  broad 
and  fertile  plains.  Now,  cities,  with  their  fifty  thou 
sand,  and  their  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  are 
springing  up  here  and  there  amongst  us.  But  I  re 
member  the  day  when,  in  the  older  states  of  the  west, 
the  rivers  and  smaller  streams  were  lined  with  the  dense 
and  almost  impenetrable  canebrake  ;  when  the  plains 
arid  hills  were  covered  with  the  rank,  luxuriant  pea- 
vine,  so  that  you  could  follow  the  trail  of  the  elk,  the 
deer,  or  the  buffalo,  for  hours  together.  I  remember 
the  period  when,  at  nightfall,  the  wolf  howled  on  the 
hill,  and  was  answered  by  the  scream  of  the  panther  ; 
and  the  wild  and  warlike  Indian,  with  his  scalping-knife 
and  tomahawk,  was  the  terror  of  old  and  young.  In 
those  days,  the  habitation  of  the  best  families,  even 


372  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

the  most  thrifty  and  enterprising,  was  the  primitive 
log  cabin,  with  its  clapboard  roof,  its  puncheon  floor, 
and  its  wooden  chimney,  well  daubed  with  clay ;  and 
often  was  the  farmer  called  from  his  labors  in  the  day, 
or  roused  from  his  slumbers  in  the  night,  to  drive  the 
bear  from  his  hogs,  the  wolves  from  his  cattle,  or  the 
thievish  Indian  from  about  his  horse  stable. 

"  In  those  days,  every  man,  when  he  left  his  home, 
carried  with  him  his  rifle,  and  his  weapons  of  defence. 
Farmers  went  in  companies  of  six,  eight,  and  ten,  to 
plant  and  cultivate  their  fields  :  two  or  three  would  stand 
as  sentinels,  at  different  points,  while  the  others  per 
formed  the  necessary  work.  Thus  they  went  from  field 
to  field,  till  each  man's  land  was  tilled.  When  they  met 
for  public  worship,  it  was  in  the  same  style.  Each 
man  came  with  his  rifle  in  his  hand ;  and  a  sufficient 
number  were  stationed  to  guard  against  surprise  from 
the  Indians,  while  the  others  listened  to  the  tidings  of 
the  everlasting  gospel.  And  just  among  the  trials  and 
distractions  which  I  have  mentioned,  the  precious  gos 
pel  of  the  blessed  God  proved  the  bread  of  life,  and 
the  water  of  life,  to  many  a  hungry  soul. 

"  Such  was  the  state  of  society  in  which  the  early 
days  of  Dr.  Nelson  were  passed,  while  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  his  parents  were  reading  Christians,  and 
the  l  family 'book-desk,'  as  the  doctor  used  to  style  it, 
was  supplied  with  a  respectable  number  of  substantial 
volumes  of  Scotch  divinity.  Early  in  life,  he  memo 
rized  the  Westminster  Catechism.  Not  long  before 
his  death,  he  wrote  an  article  on  the  subject  of  the 
benefit  he  received,  when  young,  from  Willison's  work 
on  the  Catechism.  He  was  deeply  impressed  during 
the  great  revival,  though  I  know  not  that  he  enter- 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.          373 

tained  any  hope  of  conversion  at  that  period.  When 
about  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  went  to  Kentucky, 
where  his  elder  brother  resided.  There  he  engaged  in 
the  study  of  medicine,  and  afterwards  went  to  Phila 
delphia,  to  attend  the  medical  lectures.  When  the 
war  with  England  was  declared,  he  went  into  the  army 
as  a  physician.  There  he  became  associated  with  a 
number  of  sceptical  men  j  and,  finally,  he  imbibed 
their  dangerous  arid  destructive  views.  He  was  now 
desperately  wicked.  His  constitutional  courage,  of 
which  he  had  much,  now  put  on  an  aspect  that  might 
be  termed  savage.  The  first  time  that  I  remember 
to  have  seen  him.  after  his  return  from  the  army,  he 
was  hurrying  along  the  streets  of  Jonesborough,  with 
a  naked  dirk  in  his  hand,  the  very  image  of  a  reckless 
desperado.  There  had  been  a  street  fight  in  the  vil 
lage,  and  Nelson  was  in  the  midst  of  it,  apparently 
highly  entertained,  and  ready  to  act  his  part. 

"  At  this  period,  his  mother  was  much  engaged  in 
prayer  in  his  behalf.  She  was  a  woman  of  deep  piety. 
Her  earnestness  in  prayer  for  him  was  remarkable.  I 
saw  and  conversed  with  her  often,  about  that  time. 
She  had,  in  her  heart,  set  aside  this  son,  from  his  child 
hood,  for  the  service  of  God  in  the  ministry.  She  had 
hoped  much  while  he  was  serious  in  early  youth  ;  but 
now  those  hopes  seemed  blighted,  and  appearances 
were  fearfully  unfavorable.  In  prayer,  she  was  impor 
tunate  and  persevering.  Her  importunity  seemed  to 
verge  on  agony.  But  she  lived  to  receive  an  answer 
of  peace  ;  and  her  heart  was  glad.  Her  son  regarded 
himself,  while  he  lived,  as  a  brand  plucked  from  the 
burning,  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  a  mother. 

"  In  this  brief  sketch,  I  can  notice  but  few  particu- 
32 


374  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

lars.  I  must  not,  however,  neglect  to  mention  that, 
after  his  conversion,  he  was,  for  a  time,  strongly  in 
clined  to  Arminianism,  and  tried  hard  to  reconcile  it 
with  the  Bible.  His  own  account  of  this  portion  of 
his  history  is  contained  in  the  following  article,  which 
he  wrote  soon  after  he  commenced  preaching  :  — 

AN  INEFFECTUAL   STRUGGLE. 

There  was  a  young  professor  of  religion,  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  who  felt  very  frequently  a  rising 
repugnance  to  the  doctrines  generally  denominated  Cal- 
vinistic.  The  secret  workings  of  his  heart,  unknown  to 
himself,  (if  they  had  been  plainly  translated,)  ran  nearly 
thus  :  "  It  were  a  pity  those  doctrines  should  be  true  : 
it  is,  in  short,  out  of  the  question.  I  hope  God  will 
act  more  in  accordance  with  my  ideas  of  propriety.  I 
must,  if  possible,  find  some  passage  of  Scripture  to 
overset  them,"  &c.  But  to  all  the  texts  he  could  pro 
duce,  proclaiming  the  general  offer,  the  unlimited  effi 
cacy  of  the  Savior's  death,  his  having  no  pleasure  in 
the  death  of  the  sinner,  &c.,  &c.,  he  received  from  his 
brethren  one  short  and  simple  reply  :  "  God  offers  sal 
vation  freely  to  all,  through  a  Redeemer's  blood.  All 
as  freely  and  with  one  accord  reject  it.  Shall  he  let 
them  all  take  their  own  road  to  death  ?  or  save  all  ? 
We  see  he  does  neither,  but  makes  as  many  willing  in 
the  day  of  his  power  as  he  chooses."  And  no  matter 
what  the  number  or  variety  of  passages  he  cited,  this 
answer  (or  the  substance  of  it  better  expressed)  was 
always  ready,  and  seemed  to  fit  the  whole  of  them. 
His  next  undertaking  was,  to  try  and  have  those  pas 
sages  which  seemed  to  declare  God's  eternal  purposes 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.          375 

explained  so  as  to  get  them,  if  possible,  out  of  his  way. 
He  was  intimate  with  several  pious  and  worthy  men 
who  did  not  believe  the  views  of  his  church  on  those 
points,  but  thought  them  false  and  hurtful.  To  them, 
then,  he  would  go  with  such  a  passage  from  the  Bible 
as  the  following  :  "  And  they  that  dwell  upon  the  earth 
shall  wonder  (whose  names  were  not  written  in  the 
book  of  life  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.)"  (Rev. 
xvii.  8.)  He  would  receive  an  explanation  which 
would  satisfy  him  for  the  time  ;  but  when  he  next 
opened  his  Bible,  he  would  perhaps  stumble  upon  Acts 
xiii.  48  :  "  And  as  many  as  were  ordained  to  eternal 
life  believed."  Here  he  would  find  that  the  former 
explanation  would  not  fit  this ;  for  to  say  they  were 
ordained  to  eternal  life  before  they  believed,  would  be 
election  ;  and  to  say  they  were  ordained  after  they 
believed,  would  prove  the  final  perseverance ;  and  yet 
it  would  appear  that  some  time  or  other  they  were 
ordained.  Again,  he  would  go  for  an  explanation  to 
this  and  many  other  dark  passages.  Sometimes  he 
would  receive  an  explanation  which  appeared  very 
satisfactory,  and  at  others  not  so  much  so.  But 
the  greatest  dilemma  was,  that  almost  every  verse  re 
quired  a  different  road  to  get  round  it.  And  again,  the 
task  was  endless  ;  for  it  appeared  that  at  least  one  half 
of  the  New  Testament  required  him  to  have  not  only 
ingenuity  and  skill,  but  absolute  cunning,  to  escape 
from  the  incessant  bearing  it  had  towards  God's  unqual 
ified  sovereignty.  He  could  scarcely  commence  a 
chapter  of  the  epistles  in  peace.  Even  the  introduc 
tion  was,  "  Paul  called  to  be  an  apostle,"  (and  he  re 
membered  that  verily  the  call  on  the  Damascus  road 
was  a  cogent  one,)  —  "  to  the  church  at  Corinth,"  — 


376  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  called  to  be  saints."  Thought  he,  "  Are  not  all  called 
to  be  saints  ?  "  But  perhaps  he  would  next  stumble 
upon  1  Cor.  i.  26  :  "For  ye  see  your  calling,  brethren, 
how  that  not  many  wise  men  after  the  flesh,  not  many 
mighty,  not  many  noble,  are  called."  Not  only  whole 
verses,  but  whole  chapters,  seemed  to  demand  a  dex 
terous  transmutation.  He  had  to  suppose  that  an  apostle 
of  God,  and  a  preacher  of  the  everlasting  gospel,  not 
only  did  not  speak  of  himself  when  he  said  7,  but  that 
when  he  said  /  myself,  he  meant  an  unconverted  Jew  ! 

In  short,  the  labor  of  explanation  thickened  upon 
him  so  fast,  that  no  versatility  of  talent,  and  no  store 
house  of  memory,  seemed  sufficient  to  invent  and  retain 
the  various  shifts  and  expedients  necessary  to  fortify 
him  against  the  continual  recurrence  and  multiplied  and 
inexhaustible  variety  of  expressions.  "  According  as  he 
hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  that  we  should  be  holy,"  &c. ;  "  Having  predes 
tinated  us  unto  the  adoption  of  children,"  &c. ;  «  Being 
predestinated  according  to  the  purpose  of  him  who 
worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will." 
(Eph.  i.  4,  5,  11.)  "  Therefore  hath  he  mercy  on 
whom  he  will  have  mercy,  and  whom  he  will  he  hard- 
eneth."  (Rom.  ix.  18.) 

The  conclusion  he  was  finally  forced  into  was,  — 

"  Must  I  never  open  God's  Holy  Book  without  hav 
ing  to  summon  my  ingenuity  of  evasion  ? 

"  Dare  I  resort  to  artifice  in  expounding  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  written  will  of  my  awful  Creator  ? 

"  I  may  new  translate  his  Testament ;  but  will  he 
acknowledge  the  edition  ? 

"  I  may  appear  before  his  bar  with  my  hundred  nice- 
wrought  expositions,  and  say  they  were  all  made  to 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.  377 

protect  his  character  from  the  imputation  of  partiality  ; 
but  will  he  thank  me  for  the  trouble  I  have  taken  ? 
Or  will  he  say, '  Who  hath  required  this  at  your  hands  ? 
Can  I  not  defend  my  own  character  ?  Thoughtest 
thou  that  I  was  altogether  such  a  one  as  thyself? ' 

"  I  might  write  folios  by  way  of  commentary,  and, 
with  indefatigable  zeal,  paint  with  a  thin  coloring  the 
whole  of  the  Sacred  Oracles ;  t  but  in  the  glare  of  the 
judgment  day,  it  would  all  vanish  like  smoke.'  " 

"THE  LEARNED  SCHOOLMASTER. 

"  Dr.  Nelson  delighted  much  in  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  This  he  regarded  as  God's  appointed  instru 
ment  for  renovating  and  saving  men.  His  aim  was  to 
obey  the  apostolic  injunction,  '  Be  instant  in  season, 
out  of  season,  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all  long- 
suffering  and  doctrine.'  He  took  a  peculiar  pleasure  in 
preaching  the  gospel  in  destitute  places,  where  few 
opportunities  had  been  enjoyed.  Like  his  divine  Mas 
ter,  he  had  compassion  on  the  multitude,  who  were 
wandering  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd,  and  he  would 
seize  on  any  occasion  by  which  the  word  of  life  might 
be  proclaimed  in  their  ears.  The  wayside,  the  moun 
tain-top,  the  field,  the  grove,  no  place  came  amiss  to 
such  a  preacher. 

"  In  the  year  1829,  he  was  travelling  among  the 
mountains  that  divide  Kentucky  from  the  state  of 
Tennessee.  As  the  day  was  wearing  to  a  close,  he 
approached  a  little  village,  in  which  he  determined  to 
spend  the  night.  It  is  well  known  that  almost  every 
neighborhood  in  the  great  west  has  its  presiding  genius, 
its  literati,  its  great  man.  You  will  rarely  find,  even  in  the 
32* 


378  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

mountainous  districts,  a  little  community  but  its  master 
spirit  is  there,  an  object  of  as  much  regard  and  venera 
tion  as  John  C.  Calhoun  at  Charleston,  Henry  Clay  at 
Lexington,  or  Daniel  Webster  at  the  city  of  Boston. 
Thus  it  was  at  the  little  village  where  Nelson  had 
stopped  for  the  night.  There  were  two  small  houses 
of  entertainment,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  street,  each 
having  its  sign  hung  out,  with  appropriate  inscriptions. 
Near  one  of  these  was  a  schoolmaster,  surrounded  with 
a  delighted  circle  of  listening  admirers,  while  he  expa 
tiated  on  the  unparalleled  march  of  mind  within  the 
period  of  his  own  remembrance.  Difficult  and  hitherto 
inaccessible  heights  of  science  had  recently,  he  alleged; 
been  scaled  by  learned  men,  like  himself,  while  the 
philosophical  world  had  gazed  at  the  achievement  in 
mute  amazement.  He  was,  in  short,  the  exact  du 
plicate  of  Goldsmith's  country  schoolmaster. 

1  His  words  of  learned  length  and  thundering  sound 
Amazed  the  gazing  rustics  ranged  around ; 
And  still  they  gazed,  and  still  the  wonder  grew, 
That  one  small  head  could  carry  all  he  knew.' 

This  illustrious  genius  had  his  literary  harangue  ar 
rested  in  mid  volley,  by  the  halting  of  a  stranger  before 
the  door  of  the  tavern  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street. 
All  eyes  were  at  once  turned  in  that  direction. 

"  l  There ! '  exclaimed  the  schoolmaster,  "  we'll  go 
over  and  ask  that  man.  I  know  that  he  is  a  scholar, 
by  the  looks  of  him.'  So  the  whole  party,  lifting 
their  feet  with  high  expectation,  came  stalking  over 
the  street. 

"  '  Stranger,  can  you  tell  me  which  is  the  greatest  of 
all  the  sciences  ? '  said  the  schoolmaster. 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.  379 

"  'I  can  tell  you  which  is  the  most  important,'  an 
swered  Nelson. 

"  l  Well,  let  us  hear,  stranger.' 

"  '  To  fear  and  honor  our  Creator,'  said  Nelson. 

"  '  Ah  !  '  exclaimed  the  schoolmaster,  raising  both 
his  hands,  and  stepping  backward  —  *  ah,  that  kills 
me!' 

"  The  company,  whose  admiration  had  been  so 
highly  excited  by  the  exhibition  of  such  rare  endow 
ment  by  this  son  of  science,  and  who,  while  listening 
to  his  rhetorical  flourishes,  really  regarded  him  as  per 
haps  the  most  marvellous  man  within  the  circle  of  the 
literary  world,  were  now  perfectly  stumbled  and  as 
tounded  on  beholding  their  champion  throw  down  his 
arms,  call  for  quarter,  and  surrender  at  discretion,  when 
the  stranger  had  merely  thrown  himself  into  an  atti 
tude  of  defence.  Here  the  modern  schoolmaster  fell  far 
short  of  Goldsmith's  hero,  of  whom  he  testifies, 

*  In  arguing,  too,  the  parson  owned  his  skill ; 
For,  e'en  though  vanquished,  he  could  argue  still.' 

"  All  eyes  were  now,  of  course,  turned  to  the  newly- 
arrived  gentleman,  who  was  still  on  horseback.  After 
staring  for  a  few  moments  in  silence,  one,  more  bold 
than  the  rest,  started  forward. 

"  '  Are  you  a  preacher,  sir  ?  ' 

«  <  Yes,'  said  Nelson. 

"  '  Suppose  you  preach  for  us  to-night.' 

"  « Agreed,'  said  Nelson. 

"  <  Well,  I'll  alarm  the  town.' 

"  {  Start  ! '  said  Nelson. 

"  Away  went    this    self-constituted  towncrier,   an- 


380  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

nouricing  to  the  people  that  a  i  high-learned '  man 
Would  preach  at  the  court  house  at  early  candlelight. 

"  At  the  appointed  hour,  quite  a  congregation  of  plain, 
serious-looking  people  assembled.  Dr.  Nelson  took  his 
position  among  them,  and  commenced  the  services  by 
singing  his  favorite  hymn,  — 

'  Lord,  when  I  read  the  traitor's  doom,'  &c. 

Many  of  those  who  have  heard  Nelson  preach,  will 
long  remember  that  hymn.  On  the  occasion  of  which 
I  am  now  speaking,  he  proceeded,  in  his  earnest  and 
faithful  manner,  to  preach  to  them  '  the  glorious  gospel 
of  the  blessed  God.'  The  fruit  of  his  labors  will  ap 
pear  'at  the  resurrection  of  the  just.'  Such  seasons 
were  exceedingly  precious  in  the  estimation  of  Dr. 
Nelson.  It  was  sowing  the  good  seed  where,  with  the 
blessing  of  God,  it  might  spring  up  and  bring  forth 
fruit  unto  eternal  life.  It  was  the  joy  arid  rejoicing  of 
his  heart  to  be  employed  in  such  humble  labors.  He 
would  often  quote  the  apostle's  language,  (Eph.  iii. 
8,)  '  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints, 
is  this  grace  given,  that  I  should  preach  among  the 
Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.' 


"THE  STARTLED  LANDLORD. 

"  Some  critic  has  remarked  of  the  Iliad  of  Homer, 
that  it  is  a  picture  rather  than  a  poem ;  that  is,  the 
scenes  there  appear  to  stand  out  before  the  eye,  and 
the  impression  left  upon  the  reader  is,  that  he  has  be 
held  those  scenes,  rather  than  heard  them  described. 
Such  was  the  preaching  of  Nelson.  When  he  addressed 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.  381 

an  assembly,  you  were  a  spectator  rather  than  a  hearer. 
You  saw  the  facts  and  scenes  with  which  he  wished 
to  impress  the  mind.  This  characteristic  also  entered 
largely  into  his  conversation.  He  had  a  peculiar  power 
of  throwing  before  the  mind  a  vivid  picture  of  that 
which  he  wished  you  to  understand  and  feel.  I  will 
mention  an  example.  Many  of  the  plain  country  peo 
ple,  remote  from  large  cities,  have  heard  strange  stories 
of  dissecting-rooms,  how  dead  bodies  are  dug  up  and 
brought  from  their  graves  into  these  places,  and  then 
cut  to  pieces  by  the  doctors  as  ruthlessly  as  the  butcher 
carves  up  his  pork  and  his  beef.  Rumors  of  what  is 
done  in  these  dark  dens  have  found  their  way  into 
remote  country  districts,  and  have  been  rehearsed  in 
circles  of  awe-stricken  hearers,  while  the  hair  of  their 
heads  stood  up,  and  their  eyes  seemed  ready  to  start 
from  their  sockets. 

"  About  the  year  1830,  Dr.  Nelson  spent  a  night  at 
a  public  house  among  the  mountains  of  Virginia.  The 
landlord  was  a  strong-built,  jovial,  merry-hearted  man, 
who  evidently  was  in  the  habit  of  using  freely  what 
the  New  England  people  call  '  rum.'  Early  in  the 
morning,  Nelson  was  up,  making  arrangements  for 
proceeding  on  his  journey.  The  landlord,  polite  and 
attentive,  was  bestirring  himself  for  the  accommoda 
tion  of  his  guest. 

"'Come,  stranger,'  said  he,  setting  out  a  bottle  of 
spirits,  'help  yourself  to  a  morning  dram.' 

"  '  I  don't  drink  spirits.' 

"  '  Let  me,  however,  recommend  a  little  of  this. 
The  morning  is  chilly,  and  this  is  good  as  an  "  anti- 
fogmatic."  ' 

"  '  Excuse  me,'  said  Nelson,  *  I  know  it  to  be  injuri 
ous,  and  I  would  advise  you  to  quit  it.' 


382  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  *  Well,'  said  the  landlord,  with  a  horizontal  shake 
of  the  head,  and  a  self-satisfied  strut  across  the  room, 
*  if  it  is  a  poison,  it  is  a  very  slow  one.  I've  been 
trying  it  a  great  while,  and  I  always  find  that  a  little 
does  a  man  good.' 

" '  Sir,'  said  Nelson,  turning  and  looking  him  full  in 
the  face  —  '  sir,  let  me  tell  you  that  I'm  a  doctor ;  and 
I've  cut  open  dead  people.  I've  seen  what  frightful 
havoc  this  liquid  fire  that  you  are  drinking  makes  on 
the  inside  of  a  man.  You  think  that  you  are  now  in 
firm  health ;  but  I  can  tell  by  your  looks  that  the  work 
of  destruction  within  you  is  far  advanced.  Could  you 
have  a  view  of  your  entrails  at  this  moment,  you  would 
see  them  all  dappled,  streaked,  and  discolored  by  this 
deadly  poison  which  you  are  drinking.  Yes,  you 
would  now  see  great  bloody  knots  there,  dark  and  gory, 
as  big  as  the  end  of  my  thumb.' 

"  Scarcely  did  Daniel's  interpretation  of  the  hand 
writing  on  the  palace  wall  produce  a  more  visible  change 
in  the  countenance  of  the  Babylonian  king,  than  was 
made  in  the  looks  of  our  stout,  jocular,  but  now 
startled  landlord,  by  this  account  of  the  frightful  in 
scriptions  of  King  Alcohol  on  his  inner  man.  In  a 
moment  his  haughty  airs  were  dropped,  his  proud  strut 
abandoned ;  even  his  round,  joyous  face  seemed  to 
lengthen,  and  his  short,  chubby  neck  looked,  for  the 
time,  surprisingly  slim. 

Nelson  mounted  his  horse  and  resumed  his  journey. 
Whether  his  remarks  produced  on  the  landlord  any 
thing  beyond  a  mere  temporary  effect,  he  had  never 
afterwards  an  opportunity  to  learn. 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.  383 


"A   SCEPTIC    IN    TROUBLE. 

"  Dr.  Nelson  having  been,  for  many  years,  a  pro 
fessed  infidel,  and  intimately  associated  with  that  class 
of  men,  he  ever  appeared,  after  his  conversion,  to  have 
a  special  concern  for  them.  Where  he  could  discover 
but  the  dim  dawning  of  honest  inquiry,  and  willing 
ness  to  know  the  truth,  his  sympathies  seemed  inex 
haustible.  With  untiring  assiduity,  he  would  labor 
night  and  day  for  the  recovery  of  one  such  victim 
from  the  meshes  of  scepticism ;  but  when,  as  was 
often  the  case,  he  encountered  the  pride  of  ignorance, 
—  some  little  soul,  who  thought  to  render  himself 
conspicuous  by  strutting  against  the  ordinances  of  the 
Most  High  ;  some  Tom  Thumb,  in  the  boots  of  the 
giant  Incredulity,  thinking  to  stride  from  hill  to  hill, 
over  all  that  is  sacred  and  venerable  in  society,  —  in 
such  cases,  he  took  high  and  peculiar  delight  in  de 
molishing,  at  a  single  blow,  the  imaginary  greatness  of 
the  self-deceiver.  Like  Abishai,  the  son  of  Zeruiah, 
his  first  blow  was  perfectly  decisive.  There  was  no 
need  why  he  should  *  smite  a  second  time.'  (1  Sam. 
xxvi.  8.)  Many  an  anecdote  is  told  in  the  west  of 
inflated,  towering,  cloud-capped  Infidelity,  that  was 
shivered  to  the  ground  by  one  flash  of  his  terrible 
genius.  An  instance  of  this  kind  Occurred  in  1831. 
A  fine  steamboat,  crowded  with  passengers,  had  left 
the  wharf  at  Louisville  for  Cincinnati.  The  cabin 
was  thronged  with  travellers,  of  genteel  appearance, 
cheerful  countenances,  and  engaging  manners.  An 
ignorant,  conceited  sceptic  on  board  concluded  that 
this  was  a  favorable  opportunity  for  making  an  advan- 


384  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

tageous  display.  To  some  who  were  near  him  he 
remarked,  in  a  louder  tone  than  others  had  thought 
proper  to  assume,  '  The  literary  eminence  of  the  age 
in  which  we  live  is  matter  of  congratulation  to  all  the 
real  friends  of  man.  The  superstitions  and  prejudices 
of  former  generations  are  dissolving  and  disappearing 
before  the  full-orbed  glory  of  modern  science.  The 
researches  of  learned  men  have,  at  length,  ascertained, 
conclusively,  that  the  Bible  is  false  ;  and  that  the  reli 
gion  it  teaches  is  without  the  shadow  of  foundation  in 
truth.' 

"  '  How's  that  ?  '  said  a  passenger  at  a  little  dis 
tance.  <  Do  you  say  the  Bible  is  false  ?  ' 

"  '  I  do,  sir.  The  discoveries  of  modern  science 
have  established  that  fact  beyond  a  doubt.  The  Bible 
is  false,  its  history  is  fiction,  its  doctrines  a  delusion, 
its  hopes  a  dream.' 

"  These  '  great,  swelling  words  of  vanity  '  attracted 
considerable  attention  among  those  who  were  not  other 
wise  occupied  ;  yet  no  one  attempted  to  contradict  the 
sceptic,  who,  delighted  to  find  himself  an  object  of  so 
much  notoriety,  went  on  to  expatiate,  for  some  time, 
as  he  fondly  imagined,  in  a  very  learned  strain,  evi 
dently  supposing  that,  like  certain  committees  of  Con 
gress,  he  was  t  reporting  progress,'  in  fine  style.  Dr. 
Nelson  was  sitting  near,  but  judged  it  best,  for  a  time, 
to  '  give  rope  '  to  the  boaster.  When  he  thought  mat 
ters  had  gone  far  enough,  he  turned  to  the  sceptic  — 
'  Have  you  made  yourself  acquainted  with  these  sub 
jects,  sir  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,  sir,  I  have,'  was  the  confident  reply. 

"  *  You  have  examined,  then,  the  discussion  of 
learned  men  on  these  points,  have  you  ?  ' 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.          385 

"  '  Well  —  why  —  yes,  I  suppose  I  have,' 

"  '  Can  you  tell  me,  sir,  at  what  period  it  was  that 
Cecrops  founded  the  city  of  Athens  ? ' 

"  (  Cecrops  ? '  demanded  the  sceptic,  looking  rather 
blank. 

" '  Yes,  sir,  Cecrops.  At  what  period,  or  about 
what  year,  did  he  found  the  city  of  Athens  ? ' 

"  '  Well,  sir,  I  believe,  really,  that  I  can't  remember.7 

"  '  Can  you  tell  me,  then,  at  what  time  it  was  that 
Cadmus  introduced  letters  into  Greece  ? ' 

"  *  Cadmus  ? '  said  the  sceptic,  with  a  look  yet  more 
woe-begone. 

"  l  Yes,  Cadmus,  the  founder  of  Grecian  literature, 
as  all  the  world  knows.  I  asked  you  at  what  period 
he  flourished.' 

"  l  Why,  I  —  I  don't  think  I  am  acquainted  with 
his  history.' 

"  '  Well,  sir,  at  what  time  lived  that  notable  individ 
ual  named  Phaeton,  whose  singular  exploits  are  so 
largely  celebrated  by  ancient  poets  ? ' 

"  '  Phaeton  ?  '  said  the  sceptic,  with  lengthened 
visage,  and  an  attitude  that  seemed  to  implore  com 
miseration. 

"  '  Yes,  sir,  Phaeton.' 

"  '  I  believe,  sir,  I  don't  know.' 

"  l  My  dear  sir,'  said  Nelson,  *  you  should  inform 
yourself  before  you  presume  to  talk  so  confidently  on 
these  subjects.'  Then  casting  on  him,  for  a  few 
seconds,  a  dry,  withering  look,  the  power  of  which 
none  could  know  but  those  who  felt  it,  the  doctor 
turned  entirely  away,  and  engaged  in  conversation 
with  those  who  sat  near  him.  The  crest-fallen  sceptic 
presently  shot  for  his  state-room,  and  displayed  himself 
33 


386  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

no  more  during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage.  The 
style  of  his  retreat  resembled  that  of  the  prairie  fox, 
whom  the  scorching  flames  have  unexpectedly  sur 
rounded.  He  felt  that  he  was  sadly  singed,  and  that 
all  the  company  beheld  him  suddenly  and  surprisingly 
curtailed  of  his  flowing  honors. 

"SACRED    POETRY. 

"  In  reference  to  sacred  poetry,  the  mind  of  Dr. 
Nelson  was  endowed  with  peculiarly  accurate  and 
delicate  perception.  He  possessed,  in  a  very  high  de 
gree,  that  exquisite  intellectual  relish,  that  nice  discern 
ment,  which  we  denominate  taste.  Indeed,  before  his 
conversion,  he  delighted  to  revel  amidst  the  gorgeous 
beauties  of  the  English  classics.  Shakspeare,  Milton, 
Dryden,  Pope,  Montgomery,  Byron,  and  Walter  Scott 
were  his  chosen  companions  ;  but  after  his  mind  and 
heart  were  turned  to  the  Lord,  Dr.  Watts  became  his 
favorite  author.  Among  English  sacred  poets,  Dr. 
Watts  stood,  in  his  estimation,  without  a  rival,  while 
he  valued  highly  some  of  the  best  productions  of 
Cowper.  Steele,  Kirke  White,  and  others. 

"  His  extensive  practice  as  a  physician  had  led  him 
to  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  mass  of  the  com 
mon  people.  He  found,  by  mingling  familiarly  among 
them,  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  theological  knowl 
edge  which  they  possess  is  embodied  in  the  standard 
hymns  of  the  church,  which  they  have  learned  by 
memory.  That  individual,  or  that  family,  who  have 
memorized  eight  or  ten  standard  hymns,  such  as  Dr. 
Watts's  2d  and  7th  hymns  of  Book  I.,  and  9th,  30th, 
66th,  69th,  and  107th,  Book  II.,  and  1st  and  13th  of 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.          387 

Book  III.,  — those,  I  repeat  it,  who  have  these  hymns 
well  fixed  in  their  minds,  are  possessed  of  much  im 
portant  gospel  knowledge.  In  no  other  form,  where 
the  English  language  is  spoken,  has  divine  truth,  dur 
ing  the  last  hundred  years,  reached  so  many  immortal 
souls,  as  through  these  and  similar  standard  hymns. 
On  this  account,  they  were  greatly  valued  by  Dr.  Nel 
son.  These  standard  hymns  were  also  very  highly 
valued  by  him  for  the  purpose  of  admonition.  He 
regarded  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle,  when  he 
enjoined  on  the  church  the  duty  of  '  teaching  and  ad 
monishing  one  another  in  psalms,  and  hymns,  and 
spiritual  songs.'  Dr.  Nelson  would  often  sing  one  of 
those  instructive  and  impressive  hymns  alone,  at  the 
commencement  or  at  the  close  of  a  sermon,  without 
reading  it,  or  first  repeating  the  lines.  He  believed 
that  the  divine  truth  embodied  in  one  of  these  sacred 
songs,  when  it  is  sung  '  with  the  spirit,  and  with  the 
understanding,'  is  often  blessed  in  arresting  the  atten 
tion  and  awakening  the  conscience  of  the  hearer,  when 
a  solemn  sermon  may  have  entirely  failed.  Thus  he 
often  used  singing  as  a  species  of  sacred  rhetoric,  for 
the  purpose  of  extending  the  knowledge  and  the  im 
pression  of  gospel  truths  among  the  children  of  men. 

"  He  also  commended  the  standard  hyrnns  of  the 
church,  because  they  were  such  effective  sources  of 
consolation  to  the  afflicted.  Often,  while  as  a  physician 
he  was  among  the  sick  and  the  dying,  he  found  the 
sufferer  sustained  and  cheered  by  the  precious,  divine 
truth  contained  in  some  rich  stanza,  such  as  the  follow 
ing  :  — 

*  O,  if  my  Lord  would  come  and  meet, 

My  soul  should  stretch  her  wings  in  haste, 


388  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Fly  fearless  through  death's  iron  gate, 
Nor  feel  the  terrors  as  she  passed. 

'  Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 

Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are ; 
While  on  his  breast  I  lean  my  head, 
And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there.' 

"  In  the  social  circle,  he  delighted  to  take  Dr.  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  and  read,  and  point  out  the  beauties 
of  favorite  passages.  I  have  heard  him  expatiate,  in 
such  circumstances,  on  the  3d  stanza  of  the  2d  hymn, 
Book  I.  :  — 

*  Ere  Sin  was  born,  or  Satan  fell, 

He  led  the  host  of  morning  stars : 
Thy  generation  who  can  tell, 

Or  count  the  number  of  thy  years  ? ' 

In  the  two  former  stanzas  of  this  hymn,  the  poet  has 
been  dwelling  on  the  divine  grandeur  of  Christ.  He 
pursues  the  same  theme  through  the  first  two  lines  of 
this  stanza ;  then  his  soul  is  suddenly  so  overwhelmed 
with  the  ineffable  glory  of  Immanuel,  that  he  breaks 
off  abruptly  from  description,  and  bursts  forth  into 
adoration,  closing  the  stanza  with  a  sublime  reference 
to  the  eternity  of  the  Son  of  God.  The  69th  hymn 
of  Book  II.,  on  the  subject  of  God's  faithfulness  in 
fulfilling  his  promises,  and  the  firmness  of  his  word, 
was  a  great  favorite  with  Dr.  Nelson.  I  have  heard 
him  dwell  on  the  6th  and  7th  stanzas  of  that  hymn 
with  an  enthusiasm  that  bordered  on  rapture  :  — 

'  His  every  word  of  grace  is  strong 

As  that  which  built  the  skies  ; 
The  voice  that  rolls  the  stars  along 
Speaks  all  the  promises. 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.  389 

*  He  said,  Let  the,  wide  heavens  be  spread, 

And  heaven  was  stretched  abroad ; 
.tf&ra'am,  Ftt  be  thy  God,  he  said, 
And  he  was  Abra'am's  God.' 

"It  is  much  to  be  regretted,  that,  in  so  many  of  the 
American  editions  of  Watts,  the  corruption  '  very,' 
instead  of  <  every,'  should  have  crept  into  the  first  line 
of  the  above  quotation.  The  stanza,  as  Watts  wrote 
it,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  English  language  j  but 
when  '  very '  is  suffered  to  usurp  the  place  of  '  every,' 
a  sad  eclipse  is  thrown  over  the  whole  stanza. 

"  Dr.  Nelson's  poetical  powers,  which  were  of  a 
high  order,  and  his  exquisite  and  carefully-cultivated 
taste  for  compositions  of  that  kind,  prepared  him  to 
place  a  proper  estimate  on  that  wretched  mania  for 
mutilating  standard  hymns,  which  has  been  the  vexa 
tion  and  scourge  of  the  church  for  a  number  of  the 
past  years.  He  regarded  the  cutting  to  pieces,  or,  as 
he  sometimes  expressed  it,  the  '  scalping  and  toma 
hawking  '  of  a  beautiful  hymn,  which  the  judgment 
and  good  taste  of  the  church  has  sanctioned  for,  per 
haps,  a  hundred  years,  as  a  grievous  outrage,  which 
the  perpetrator  has  no  right  to  expect  the  Christian 
public  to  endure.  His  views  are,  in  substance,  the 
following :  — 

"  1.  It  is  flagrant  injustice  to  the  author  whose  name 
is  used.  Hymns  are  now  circulated  over  the  name 
of  *  Watts,'  that  Watts  never  saw.  Not  only  entire 
lines,  but  whole  stanzas,  of  miserable  doggerel,  that  had 
no  existence  till  long  since  Watts  left  the  world,  are 
now  published  over  the  name  of  that  t  sweet  singer  of 
Israel ;  '  and  the  public  are  told  that  the  author  is 
'  Watts.'  This  is  falsehood  and  injustice.  You  would 
33* 


390  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

not  allow  a  worthy  man  to  be  slandered,  merely  be 
cause  he  had  crossed  the  ocean,  and  is  now  in  Europe. 
He  is  in  existence  still,  and  still  has  his  rights.  And 
will  you  allow  that  the  worthy  man  who  has  crossed 
the  '  narrow  sea'  that  divides  earth  from  heaven,  has  no 
claim  to  be  treated  with  truth  and  justice  ?  Is  it  not 
as  wrong  to  misrepresent  the  dead  as  the  absent  ?  And 
because  the  name  of  Watts,  attached  to  a  hymn,  will 
induce  the  public  to  buy  the  book  containing  that 
hymn,  is  that  a  reason  why  the  great  poet  should  be 
made  to  father  wretched  doggerel,  scribbled  by  some 
mutilator,  whose  brain  never  was  capable  of  pro 
ducing  even  the  abortion  of  a  poetical  idea  ?  How 
indignantly  did  John  Wesley  protest  against  the  con 
duct  of  those  who  attempted  to  introduce  lean,  poverty- 
stricken  hymns  into  public  notice,  by  attaching  to  them 
his  name,  and  the  name  of  his  brother  Charles !  Shall 
the  dead  be  slandered,  and  the  church  sanction  it  ? 
Jesus  Christ  maintained  that  Abraham,  and  Isaac, 
and  Jacob  are  yet  living,  (Matt.  xxii.  32.)  and  yet 
retain  their  relation  to  the  God  of  the  living.  Shall 
Abraham  be  represented  as  saying  what  he  never  said  ? 
as  teaching  what  he  never  taught  ?  And  why  should 
this  injurious  violation  of  truth  be  allowed  in  the  case 
of  a  modern  saint,  —  Watts,  or  Cowper,  or  Steele  ? 

"  2.  The  mutilation  of  standard  hymns  is  a  great 
annoyance  to  the  church.  Many  of  those  who  delight 
in  the  praises  of  God  have  committed  to  memory  quite 
a  number  of  the  choice  hymns  which  the  church  has 
been  using  for  a  long  series  of  years.  These  have 
become  very  dear  to  them,  not  only  because  of  their 
intrinsic  value,  but  by  reason  of  many  interesting  and 
precious  associations  in  Christian  history  and  experience. 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF    DR.    NELSON.          391 

But,  lo  !  suddenly  up  starts  an  inflated,  fidgety  mutila- 
tor,  and  protests  that  the  hymn  which  the  church  has 
sanctioned  and  enjoyed  for  a  hundred  years  is  l  wrong 
end  up,  wrong  side  out,  and  wrong  foot  foremost,' 
and  that  there  is  a  clear  call  in  providence  for  him  to 
revise  and  improve  it.  So  at  it  he  goes  j  and,  by  the 
time  he  is  done,  lackaday  !  you  may  apply  to  it  the 
description  given  by  the  Scotch  poet  of  one  of  his 
heroes : — 

'  Poor  wretch  !  the  mother  that  him  bare, 
If  she  had  been  in  presence  there, 
In  his  wan  cheek,  and  sunburnt  hair, 
She  Jiad  not  known  her  son? 

The  fact  is  notorious,  that,  since  the  irruption  of  the 
hordes  of  hymn-mutilators  into  the  church,  congrega 
tions  have,  to  a  mournful  extent,  given  up  the  singing 
of  God's  praises  in  his  sanctuary.  How  can  it  be 
otherwise,  when  reckless  pretenders  are  suffered  to 
tamper  with  and  mar  the  songs  of  Zion,  until  they 
retain  scarcely  the  ghost  of  resemblance  to  their  former 
beauty  and  perfection  ? 

"  3.  Dr.  Nelson  regarded  the  conduct  of  the  mutilator 
as  insufferably  presumptuous.  Who  is  this  that,  with 
out  the  shadow  of  claim  to  poetical  talent,  rashly  pre 
sumes  to  tear  to  tatters  the  sublime  productions  of  ex 
alted  genius  ?  Shall  the  friends  and  admirers  of  Watts, 
Cowper,  and  Henry  Kirke  White  look  on  this  wanton 
havoc,  and  be  silent  ? 

"  4.  He  maintained,  further,  that  it  was  a  plain  vio 
lation  of  the  ninth  commandment.  He  who  writes  a 
string  of  wretched  doggerel  himself,  and  then  proclaims 
to  the  public  that  Watts  wrote  it,  bears  false  witness 
against  his  neighbor. 


392  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

"  5.  And,  moreover,  it  is  altogether  a  question  whether 
the  mutilator  is  not  guilty  in  the  eye  of  the  sixth  com 
mandment.  There  is  certainly  '  hymn-slaughter '  in 
the  case  j  for  the  crippled  hymn,  or,  as  Nelson  ex 
pressed  it,  the  hymn  that  has  been  '  scalped  and  toma 
hawked,'  invariably  dies.  Its  lot  is  more  melancholy 
than  that  of  the  poor  man  who  '  went  down  from  Jeru 
salem  to  Jericho,'  and  was  '  stripped  of  his  raiment, 
and  wounded,  and  left  half  dead ; '  for  the  wounded 
hymn  dies  out  and  out.  It  dies  in  the  esteem  and 
affection  of  the  church.  It  is  not  sung  in  its  mutilated 
form  in  the  prayer  meeting,  or  in  the  social  circle.  It 
is  dead,  and,  if  remembered  at  all,  with  interest,  it 
is  as  you  remember  a  murdered  friend:  the  interest 
is  in  the  memory  of  what  it  once  was,  and  not  in  the 
mangled  remains  now  before  you. 

"  Dr.  Nelson  would  sometimes  talk  familiarly  of 
scenes  that  he  believed  would  take  place  in  the  next 
world.  He  believed,  with  Milton,  that  there  may  be 
more  likeness  between  things  in  heaven  and  things  on 
earth  than  is  often  imagined.  He  would  sometimes 
entertain  his  friends  with  an  account  of  Watts,  Cowper, 
and  Steele  meeting  the  hymn  mutilator  in  a  future 
state.  The  scales  that  prevented  him  from  seeing  the 
beauty  of  their  productions  will  then  have  fallen  from 
his  eyes,  and  he  will  be  heartily  ashamed  of  what  he 
has  done  ;  and  should  he,  when  walking  along  the 
streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  discover  Dr.  Watts  com 
ing  towards  him,  how  eagerly  will  he  look  round  for 
a  by-lane  or  alley,  that  he  may  speedily  turn  a  comer, 
and  escape  from  the  eye  of  one  on  whose  works  he 
had  perpetrated  such  outrageous  mischief!  " 


ARMINIANISM    vs.    THE    MILLENNIUM.     393 


ARMINIANISM    vs.    THE    MILLENNIUM. 


No  impartial  man  can  examine  the  subject  carefully, 
without  being  fully  convinced,  that  if  the  peculiar 
doctrines  of  Arminianism  be  true,  there  never  will  be 
a  millennium ;  and.  on  the  other  hand,  that  if  it  be 
true  that  a  millennial  day  is  approaching,  then  the 
peculiar  doctrines  of  Arminianism  are  unquestionably 
groundless  ;  and  when  that  bright  day  of  Z  ion's  glory 
arrives,  all  nations  of  the  earth  will  look  upon  those 
peculiar  sentiments  for  which  our  Arminian  friends 
now  contend  so  zealously,  as  nothing  better  than 
"  wind  and  confusion." 

No  Arminian  can  avoid  seeing,  that  if  he  admits 
that  God  designs  to  convert  the  whole  world  at  a  "  set 
time,"  (Ps.  cii.  13,)  he  admits,  broadly  and  fully,  what 
Calvinists  have  always  meant  by  the  "  purpose  of  God 
according  to  election;"  for  the  most  remarkable  in 
stance  of  God's  electing  love,  is  his  determination  to 
convert  and  save  all  nations  in  the  millennial  day. 

No  Arminian  can  avoid  seeing,  that  if  he  admits 
that  the  Lord  will  "make  bare  his  arm"  in  the  latter 
day,  and  turn  all  families  of  the  earth  from  Satan  to 
God,  then  he  admits  the  very  doctrine  of  effectual  call 
ing,  against  which  Arminians  have  so  long  and  so 
violently  contended. 

No  Arminian  can  avoid  seeing,   that  if  he  admits 


394  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

that  in  the  latter  day  Zion's  King  will  "take  to  him 
his  great  power,"  and  subdue  all  hearts  to  the  obedi 
ence  of  the  gospel,  then  he  admits  the  doctrine  of 
divine  sovereignty ;  for  all  acknowledge  that  God  did 
not  subdue  the  hearts  of  all  men  in  the  days  of  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  or  in  any  age  that  has  yet  passed. 

No  Arminian  can  avoid  seeing,  that  if  he  admits 
there  will  be  .a  long  millennial  day,  a  thousand  pro 
phetic  years,  in  which  there  shall  be  "  none  to  hurt  or 
destroy  in  all  God's  holy  mountain,"  then  away  goes 
his  favorite  doctrine  of  " falling  from  grace;"  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  will  not  only  be  converted  at 
first,  but  they  will  remain  converted.  They  will  per 
severe  in  holiness  till  the  end  of  life. 

Thus  it  is  evident,  that  when  the  light  of  the  mil 
lennial  morning  bursts  upon  our  world,  the  mists  and 
clouds  which  now  obscure  the  vision  of  many  pro 
fessing  Christians  will  be  rolled  away,  and  divine 
truth  will  stand  out  with  " sevenfold"  brightness  in 
the  view  of  all  nations. 

The  question  may  now  arise,  What  will  our  Armin 
ian  friends  do,  in  view  of  the  conclusive  evidence 
which  God's  promise  of  a  millennium  furnishes  against 
their  peculiar  sentiments  ?  I  answer,  some  of  them, 
when  they  look  at  this  subject  candidly,  and  see  how 
absolutely  inconsistent  their  doctrines  are  with  the 
promise  of  God,  that  the  whole  earth  shall  be  con 
verted  in  the  latter  day,  will  doubtless  renounce  their 
errors,  and  embrace  the  truth.  Of  this  I  am  persuaded, 
for,— 

1.  All  Christians  love  truth  when  it  is  clearly  per 
ceived  by  the  mind ;  and,  although  there  are  many 
ways  in  which  their  minds  may  be  prejudiced,  and  led 


;  H I 

ARMINIANISM    vs.    THE    MILLENNIUM.     395 


to  take  a  perverted  view  of  certain  Scripture  doctrines, 
yet  error  is  not  the  native  element  of  the  renovated 
heart.  And  we  are  assured  that,  when  all  hearts  are 
renewed,  and  all  prejudice  is  put  down,  and  all  misrep 
resentation  is  done  away,  then  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth  shall  see  eye  to  eye. 

2.  We  see  that,  as  the  Scriptures  are  examined  more 
and  more,  many  are  coming  over  from  error  to  the  side 
of  truth.     In  the  county  where  I  live,  I  calculate  there 
are  now  many  stanch  advocates  for  the  doctrines  of 
sovereign  grace,  where  there  was  one  twenty  years  ago. 
Knowledge  increases,  and  truth  advances,  as  the  day 
of  the  Lord  draws  nigh. 

3.  All  Christians  admit  that,  in  the  millennium,  the 
church  will   be   much  more  enlightened  than  at  the 
present   time.     Show  any  denomination   that  the  pe 
culiarities  for  which   they  contend   will  certainly  be 
rejected  by  the  whole  church  during  the  millennium, 
and  at  once  their  faith  in  those  peculiarities  is  shaken. 
No  good  man  is  willing  to  make  efforts  for  the  propa 
gation  of  sentiments  which  he  clearly  sees  the  whole 
church  will  reject  as  soon  as  God's  glory  fills  the  earth. 
For  these  reasons,   I  doubt  not  that  many  who  have 
hitherto  stood  up  for  the  peculiarities  of  Arminianism 
will  give  up  the  contest,  and  admit   they  had  been 
mistaken,  as  soon  as  they  perceive  the  absolute  incon 
sistency  of  those  doctrines  with   the   promise   of  God 
that  all  nations  shall  be  converted  "  in  his  time."    But 
will   all   renounce    these   errors  ?      Not   immediately. 
Error  will  not  quit  the  field  without  a  violent  struggle. 
And  although  I  cannot  attempt  to  point  out  all  the  arts 
that  will  be  employed  to  prop  a  tottering  cause,  yet  the 
principal  one  will  be,  to  deny  absolutely  that  God  will 


396  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

ever  grant  to  the  church  a  millennium,  in  which,  for 
many  ages,  "  all  shall  know  the  Lord,  from  the  least  to 
the  greatest."  I  have  no  doubt  that,  so  soon  as  those 
Arminians  who  are  determined  to  yield  to  no  array  of 
argument,  discover  how  totally  irreconcilable  the  hope 
of  a  millennium  is  with  the  leading  features  of  their 
scheme,  they  will  come  out  and  broadly  deny  that 
there  will  ever  be  a  day  of  millennial  glory  enjoyed  by 
the  church  on  earth.  Nor  let  this  be  thought  incredi 
ble.  We  find  that  the  advocates  of  error  have,  on 
former  occasions,  acted  a  part  altogether  as  strange, 
and  have  denied  doctrines  as  plainly  taught  in  the 
Scriptures  as  the  doctrine  of  a  millennium  is  or  can  be. 
I  will  mention  one  instance.  In  tne  days  of  President 
Edwards,  Arminians  in  Europe  and  America  had 
breathed  out  much  complaint  against  the  doctrine  of 
God's  decrees,  pronouncing  it  absurd,  ridiculous,  incon 
sistent,  &c.  &c.  Edwards  took  up  his  pen  and  showed 
them,  that  the  doctrine  was  not  only  most  clearly  taught 
in  the  Bible,  which  they  professed  to  believe,  but  that 
it  was  also  necessarily  connected  with  the  doctrine  of 
God's  foreknowledge,  which  they  all  maintained ;  for, 
said  Edwards,  if  God  foreknows  all  events  with  abso 
lute  certainty,  before  they  take  place,  then  they  must 
be  fixed  and  certain  before  they  take  place  ;  for  it  is 
absurd  to  suppose  that  God  knows  that  to  be  certain 
which  is  uncertain.  And  if  God  has  foreknown  all 
events  from  eternity,  then  they  must  have  been  fixed 
and  certain  from  eternity.  But  if  so,  some  being  must 
have  fixed  them,  or  made  them  certain  ;  but  no  being 
existed  from  eternity  but  God.  He  therefore  must 
have  fixed  them,  in  his  eternal  purpose.  Such  was 
Edwards's  argument  from  the  admitted  doctrine  of 


ARMINIANISM    vs.    THE    MILLENNIUM.      397 

foreknowledge  —  an  argument  too  plain  to  be  misun 
derstood,  and  too  powerful  to  be  encountered.  The 
champions  of  error  were  not  a  little  perplexed  with 
this  view  of  the  subject.  "  And  one  spake  after  this 
manner,  and  another  after  that  manner,"  all  feeling  that 
something  must  be  done  to  save  their  favorite  senti 
ments,  yet  each  at  a  loss  to  know  what  that  something 
was.  At  length  it  seems  to  have  been  agreed  that  the 
plain,  unvarnished  doctrine  of  God's  foreknowledge  is 
inconsistent  with  many  of  the  Arminian  peculiarities. 
And  consequently,  singular  methods  have  been  resorted 
to,  either  to  put  down  that  doctrine  entirely,  or  so  to 
11  darken  counsel  by  words  without  knowledge,"  that 
the  force  of  Edwards's  argument  might  not  be  felt. 

One  class  allege,  that  the  actions  of  free  agents  are 
contingencies  in  themselves,  until  they  take  place  ;  and 
therefore  it  is  not  dishonoring  God  to  say,  that  he  can 
not  foreknow  them  with  certainty ;  for  how  can  that 
be  certain  in  the  view  of  God,  which  is  uncertain  in 
itself?  This  subterfuge,  however  plausible  in  the  eyes 
of  those  who  use  it,  is  unfortunately  directly  in  the 
teeth  of  those  Scripture  passages  where  the  Lord  fore 
tells  the  actions  of  free  agents.  He  foretold  that  Sol 
omon  should  build  the  temple,  that  Cyrus  should  take 
Babylon,  that  Herod  would  slay  the  children  in  Beth 
lehem,  and  that  Peter  would  deny  his  master.  These, 
and  a  thousand  other  instances,  show  that  the  future 
actions  of  men  are  not  uncertain  in  the  view  of  God, 
for  he  can  foretell  them,  and  of  course  does  foreknow 
them  with  absolute  certainty. 

Another  class,  conscious  that  the  above  scheme  of 
escaping  from  Edwards's  argument  would  not  do,  have 
alleged  that,  in  the  view  of  the  Almighty,  no  events 
34 


398  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

are  past,  and  none  are  to  come  j  that  all  things  are 
present  with  him  from  everlasting  to  everlasting  j  and 
therefore  it  is  not  proper  to  speak  of  God's  foreknowl 
edge^  for  in  his  view  one  event  does  not  take  place 
before  another,  as  in  ours,  but  all  events  stand  equally 
present  with  him  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
time.  On  this  scheme  I  would  remark,  — 

1.  It  is  an  improvement  in  theology  that  has  been 
discovered  since  the  days  of   the  apostles.     Neither 
Peter  nor  Paul  was  aware  that  it  is  improper  to  speak 
of  God's  foreknowledge.    One  says  to  the  Jews,  "  Him 
being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  fore 
knowledge  of  God,  ye  have  taken,"  &c.     The  other 
says  to  the  Romans,    "Whom  he  did  foreknow   he 
also  did  predestinate."     Mistaken  apostles  !    Had  they 
only  penetrated  into  the  subject  far  enough  to  discover 
that  with  the  Lord  there  is,  properly  speaking,  no  fore 
knowledge,  and  that,  in  his  view,  one  event  does  not 
take  place  before  another,  they  might  have  avoided 
such  gross  blunders. 

2.  If  Arminians  are  correct  when  they  say  that,  in 
the  view  of  the  Lord,  one  event  does  not  take  place 
before  another,  but  all  events  have  in  his  view  the  same 
present  existence,  whether,   with  respect  to  us,  they 
are  present,  or  a  thousand  years  past,  or  a  thousand 
years  to  come,  then  it  will  follow  that,  in  the  view  of 
the  Almighty,  a  man  is  not  born  before  he  dies,  for  he 
does  not  view  one  event  as  taking  place  before  another. 
In  the  view  of  the  Almighty,  Noah's  flood  did  not  take 
place  before  the  American  revolution.      In  the  view 
of  the  Almighty,  Isaiah  did  not  preach  in  Jerusalem 
before  Wesley  preached  in  England ;  the  Bible  was 
not  written  before  the  Almanac  for  A.   D.  1850 ;  the 


ARMINIANISM     vs.    THE    MILLENNIUM.    399 

law  was  not  given  by  Moses  before  the  coming  of 
Christ ;  the  world  was  not  created  before  the  judgment 
day. 

3.  If  it  be  true,  that  with  the  Almighty  there  is  no 
foreknowledge,  —  that  those  events  which  in  our  view 
are  future,  are  present  in  his,  so  that  he  does  not  foresee 
them,  or  look  upon  them  as  things  yet  to  come,  but 
views  them  as  now  in  actual  existence,  — then  it  will 
follow,  that  all  the  saints  now  on  earth  are  now,  in  the 
view  of  the  Almighty,  as  holy  and  as  happy  as  they 
will  ever  be.  There  will  never  come  a  period  when 
God  will  view  them  in  heaven  any  more  than  he  does 
now  ;  and  all  the  wicked  are  now,  in  the  view  of  the 
Lord,  as  absolutely  in  hell  as  they  will  ever  be ;  and 
not  only  so,  but  it  has  been  thus  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world  —  there  is  no  foreknowledge  with  God. 
On  the  morning  of  creation,  he  did  not  look  forward 
and  see  that,  in  after  ages,  some  of  Adam's  race  would 
rise  to  heaven,  and  others  be  cast  down  to  hell.  But 
in  his  view,  it  was  all  then  present ;  it  had  actually 
taken  place  as  really  as  it  ever  will !  This  throws 
Calvinism  into  the  shade  !  Arminians  have  long  ex 
claimed  against  the  Calvinistic  doctrines,  because  they 
represent  God  as  having  determined,  before  the  founda 
tion  of  the  world,  to  take  a  part  of  mankind  —  the 
righteous —  to  heaven,  and  to  send  another  part  —  the 
wicked  — to  hell.  But  according  to  their  own  scheme, 
which  we  have  been  noticing,  the  Lord  not  only  deter 
mined  to  do  this,  but  in  his  view  it  was  actually  done, 

"  Ere  sin  was  born,  or  Adam's  dust 
Was  fashioned  into  man." 

The  saints  were  placed  in  heaven,  and  the  sinners  were 


400  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

sent  to  hell,  as  really  as  they  will  ever  be.  Such  are 
the  monstrous  absurdities  into  which  men  will  run,  in 
order  to  support  a  favorite  scheme.  And  now  you  may 
calculate  that  the  doctrine  of  a  millennium  will  be 
denied,  as  certainly  as  the  doctrine  of  foreknowledge 
has  been.  For  every  one  must  see  that  the  promise  of 
the  millennium  is  as  totally  irreconcilable  with  the 
peculiar  doctrines  of  Arminianism,  as  the  doctrine  of 
foreknowledge  is  with  their  scheme  in  relation  to  divine 
decrees. 

They  will  come  out  and  broadly  deny  that  the 
whole  earth  will  be  converted,  and  remain  converted 
for  a  thousand  prophetic  years. 


REVIVAL    MEASURES.  401 


REVIVAL  MEASURES. 


To  us,  short-sighted  mortals,  it  seems  matter  of  regret 
that  a  controversy  about  revival  measures  should  ever 
have  sprung  up  in  the  Christian  church.  As  this  world 
perishes  by  neglecting  the  great  salvation,  it  is  impos 
sible  for  one  man  to  legislate  for  another,  how  he  may 
most  successfully,  in  all  cases,  call  up  public  attention 
to  the  great  truths  of  the  gospel.  Let  the  right  thing 
be  attempted  at  the  right  time,  in  the  right  spirit,  and 
by  the  right  man,  with  judgment  and  good  taste,  and 
the  results  will  be  admirable.  But  let  the  ass  attempt 
to  put  on  the  lion's  hide,  or  the  crow  undertake  to 
emulate  the  eagle,  and  you  will  have  a  dolorous  ac 
count  of  the  indiscreetness  and  the  unhappy  character 
of  the  measure.  The  agitation  of  this  subject  has 
often  reminded  me  of  the  notable  lines  of  Pope  :  — 

"  For  forms  of  government  let  fools  contest ; 
That  which  is  best  administered  is  best." 

Dr.  Anderson,  of  Maryville,  Tennessee,  came  forward 
during  a  sacramental  meeting  to  receive  into  the  com 
munion  of  the  church  a  large  company  of  young  con 
verts.  The  assembly  was  crowded,  the  solemnity 
intense,  and  the  stillness  awful,  while  every  eye  was 
fixed  on  the  affecting  scene.  In  that  congregation 
were  a  number  of  professed  infidels.  Some  of  them 
34* 


402  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

avowed  Deism,  some  Atheism ;  but  they  were  men  of 
genteel  manners,  who,  in  a  Christian  assembly,  would 
deport  themselves  with  the  utmost  propriety. 

The  solemn  profession  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
was  now  made,  the  young  converts  took  the  vows  of 
God  upon  them,  and  then  all  who  had  not  received 
baptism  in  infancy  came  forward  one  by  one,  and 
kneeling  down  on  a  little  platform  in  front  of  the  pulpit, 
were  baptized  "  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  At  the  close  of  this 
deeply  interesting  service,  Dr.  Anderson  made  a  brief 
address  to  the  young  converts,  exhorting  them  to 
"  walk  worthy "  of  the  high  and  holy  "  vocation 
wherewith  they  were  called." 

"A  wicked  world,"  he  exclaimed,  "will  watch  for 
your  halting.  It  has  crucified  your  Lord  and  Master, 
and  with  malicious  ea'gerness  and  hellish  skill  it  will 
spread  its  snares  for  you.  With  flattering  vanities, 
with  deceitful  smiles,  with  bewitching  arts,  it  will 
labor  to  turn  your  feet  aside,  that  religion  may  be  dis 
honored,  that  the  Savior  may  be  wounded  in  the  house 
of  his  friends,  and  sadness,  sorrow,  and  despair, 
brought  into  your  own  souls.  O,  watch  and  pray. 
Spurn  temptation.  Resist  all  the  artifices  of  sin,  of 
Satan,  and  of  hell.  O,  follow  the  Lord  fully.  Serve  him 
with  all  your  heart.  Lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the 
sin  that  does  so  easily  beset  you,  and  run  with  patience 
the  race  that  is  set  before  you,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the 
Author  and  Finisher  of  faith.  Never  faint  or  tire,  until 
you  have  gained  the  mark  of  the  prize  of  the  high 
calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  So  shall 
your  Redeemer  be  honored,  the  name  of  your  God 
exalted,  your  own  souls  divinely  blessed,  and  others 


REVIVAL    MEASURES.  403 

shall  see  your  good  works  and  glorify  your  Father  who 
is  in  heaven.  And  now  I  turn  to  the  ungodly  part  of 
this  assembly.  Ye  candidates  for  the  second  death,  I 
turn  to  you.  You  have  witnessed  this  solemn  transac 
tion.  You  have  witnessed  the  consecration  of  these 
immortal  souls  to  God.  You  have  heard  their  vows 
of  eternal  allegiance  to  King  Jesus.  Now,  though  you 
have  rejected  the  gospel  for  your  own  souls,  though 
you  have  judged  yourselves  unworthy  of  eternal  life, 
yet,  in  behalf  of  these  who  have  named  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  I  appeal  to  you.  Does  not  conscience 
tell  you  that,  though  you  have  chosen  the  downward 
road,  yet  it  is  best  for  them  that  they  should  prove 
faithful  unto  death  ?  that  they  should  be  firm  in  the 
service  of  their  God  ?  Unto  you,  O  men,  I  call !  You, 
whose  backs  are  turned  on  heaven ;  you,  whose  faces 
are  set  for  dungeons  of  hell  j  you,  who  are  hastening 
headlong  towards  the  worm  that  never  dies,  and  the 
fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched,  —  I  appeal  to  you. 
Will  not  you  pledge  yourselves  to-day,  that  you  will 
throw  no  stumbling-blocks  in  the  way  of  these  souls  ? 
that  you  will  not  attempt  to  entangle  them  in  the  net 
of  perdition,  and  drag  them  down  with  you  to  the  ago 
nies  and  the  darkness  of  hell  ?  And  now  let  every  man 
that,  before  earth  and  heaven,  is  willing  to  enter  into  this 
solemn  pledge,  signify  it  by  holding  up  his  right  hand." 
The  solemnity  was  overwhelming.  The  burning  zeal 
of  the  minister  kindled  a  flame  through  the  entire  audi 
ence  ;  right  hands  arose,  and  were  held  up  over  the 
whole  congregation.  The  sinner's  heart  trembled  be 
cause  of  the  presence  of  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  ; 
the  Christian  bowed  his  head,  and  worshipped,  saying, 
with  the  venerable  patriarch  of  old,  "  This  is  the  gate 


404  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

of  heaven."  The  first  right  hand  that  was  lifted  up, 
in  this  memorable  scene,  was  that  of  Dr.  McGee.  He 
had  professed,  for  many  years,  to  be  a  confirmed  athe 
ist.  He  was  a  scholar,  a  gentleman,  arid  possessed 
many  amiable  endowments,  but  had  long  been  settled 
down  in  absolute  atheism.  Argument  had  been  tried 
with  him  by  many  strong  men,  but  he  seemed  im 
movable  as  the  cliffs  of  the  Alleghany.  This  atheist 
ical  Dr.  McGee  was  the  first  man  to  hold  up  his  right 
hand  in  the  above-described  scene.  Within  a  short 
time,  he  came  before  the  congregation,  and  publicly 
renounced  his  atheism,  and  solemnly  professed  his 
repentance  and  his  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  Long  will 
the  church  at  Maryville  remember  the  day  when  Dr. 
McGee,  with  tears  of  penitence  for  the  follies  of  his 
past  life,  asked  to  be  received  into  their  communion, 
and  they  gave  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  in  the 
service  of  their  God.  The  doctor  soon  became  a 
preacher  of  that  faith  which  once  he  destroyed,  and 
lived  many  years  to  adorn  the  gospel  profession  by  a 
holy  life,  and  proclaim  the  riches  of  a  Savior's  love  to 
dying  men. 

Such  is  a  brief  history  of  one  of  the  boldest,  strong 
est,  and  newest  measures  that  I  ever  saw  attempted  in 
a  revival  of  religion ;  and  yet,  perhaps  not  one  of  the 
vast  assembly  present  ever  dreamed  of  calling  in  ques 
tion  its  propriety  or  its  usefulness.  Why  ?  Because 
it  was  done  with  judgment  and  good  taste.  It  was 
done  in  the  right  spirit,  at  the  right  time,  in  the  right 
circumstances,  and  by  the  right  man.  But  now  let  the 
wrong  man,  without  judgment  or  good  taste,  attempt 
such  a  measure,  and  he  will  soon  be  in  a  condition  to 
deliver  lectures  or  publish  letters  on  the  "  evils  of 
revivals." 


TEMPERANCE    SONG.  405 


TEMPERANCE    SONG. 


THE  following  ode  was  composed  at  the  request  of  Gov 
ernor  Boggs,  of  Missouri,  and  sung  in  the  presence  of 
the  members  of  the  legislature,  in  the  hall  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  February,  in  the  year  1843 :  — 

WHEN  the  dark  cloud  of  war  threw  its  gloom  round  our  land, 

And  the  rod  of  the  tyrant  was  o'er  us  suspended, 
Our  fathers  aroused,  "  put  their  life  in  their  hand," 
And  bravely  and  nobly  their  country  defended. 
Then  Victory's  bright  crown  encircled  their  head  ; 
The  haughty  invader  was  routed,  and  fled  ; 
And  the  "  star-spangled  banner  in  triumph  did  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

But  a  deadlier  foe  still  was  lurking  around  — 
A  foe  more  insidious,  and  deeply  annoying, 
Inflicting  on  health  an  incurable  wound, 

And  the  life  of  the  soul  and  the  body  destroying. 
We've  roused,  like  our  sires,  our  country  to  free  ; 
Already  is  dawning  the  glad  jubilee  ; 
And  the  temperance  "  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

'Twas  an  empire  of  woe,  with  a  despot  enthroned  ; 

The  tears  of  the  mother  and  widow  were  streaming, 
While  around  them,  in  rags,  and  starving  for  bread, 
Neglected  and  fatherless  children  were  screaming. 
But  loud  notes  of  joy  on  the  breezes  now  swell ; 
Our  country  's  all  rising,  the  foe  to  expel ; 
And  the  temperance  "  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  " 


406  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

'Twas  a  long,  dreary  night,  fraught  with  danger  and  death ; 

Diseases  and  vices  around  us  were  prowling ; 
O,  the  "  darkness  was  thick ! "  'twas  a  night  of  despair, 
And  the  voice  of  a  terrible  tempest  was  howling. 
But  the  star  of  the  morn  now  rises  in  sight, 
And  a  new,  lovely  day  is  diffusing  its  light ; 
And  the  temperance  "  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

'Twas  a  deluge  of  fire  that  invaded  our  land, 

And  mingled  hot  poison  in  life's  sweetest  fountains  ; 
O,  it  flooded  our  fields,  and  swelled  o'er  the  hills, 

And  rolled  its  huge  billows  above  the  tall  mountains  ! 
But  the  dove  now  returns,  with  the  "  olive  leaf"  green ; 
Lo !  spanning  the  heav'ns  a  bright  rainbow  is  seen  ; 
And  the  temperance  "  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

O,  how  blest  is  our  cause,  where  friends  all  unite,  — 

The  son  and  the  father,  the  husband  and  brother,  — 
While  beauty  looks  on,  and  cheers  us  with  smiles,  — 
The  sister,  the  daughter,  the  wife,  and  the  mother ! 
Come,  enlist  in  this  cause ;  let  all  hearts  agree ; 
Come,  down  with  your  name,  and  the  land  shall  be  free  ; 
And  the  temperance  "  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

O,  how  happy  our  land,  where  the  bounty  of  God 

Flows  freely  and  richly,  and  broad  as  a  river, 
While  the  gospel  appears  in  robes  of  pure  white, 
And  points  us  to  blessings  forever  and  ever ! 
Hail !  dear  native  land,  in  loveliness  dressed, 
Through  ages  on  ages,  thy  children  be  blessed ; 
And  the  temperance  banner  —  O,  "  long  may  it  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave !  " 


TENNESSEE    PATRIOTIC    SONG.  407 


PATRIOTIC    SONG    OF    THE 

TENNESSEEAN. 


WHY  wander  from  our  early  home, 

Impelled  by  hope  or  fear, 
Since  bounteous  Heaven  hath  richly  shed 

Its  choicest  blessings  here  ? 
Our  homes  are  sweet,  our  friends  are  kind, 

Our  children  hale  and  free  ; 
"  And  the  best  of  land,  we  understand, 

Is'n  the  bend  of  the  Tennessee." 

We  envy  not  the  frozen  north, 

Its  fields  of  ice  and  snow ; 
We  envy  not  the  torrid  south, 

Its  sun's  o'erpowering  glow. 
From  scorching  heat,  from  piercing  cold, 

Our  happy  clime  is  free ; 
"  And  the  best  of  land,  we  understand, 

Is'n  the  bend  of  the  Tennessee." 

In  days  long  past,  our  fathers  came 

As  pilgrims  to  the  west, 
And  reared  their  rude  and  humble  homes 

On  thy  fair,  bounteous  breast. 
While  panther,  wolf,  and  Indian  howled, 

They  fixed  their  choice  on  thee. 
"  O,  the  best  of  land,  we  understand, 

Is'n  the  bend  of  the  Tennessee ! " 

Like  olive-plants,  in  blooming  youth, 
Thy  duteous  daughters  rise, 


408  THE    WESTERN    SKETCH-BOOK. 

Adorned  with  charity  and  truth, 

Endowments  from  the  skies. 
How  oft  they've  taught  the  child  of  woe 

To  keep  a  jubilee ! 
"  O,  the  best  of  land,  we  understand, 

Is'n  the  bend  of  the  Tennessee ! " 

How  promptly,  at  our  country's  call, 

Thy  sons  have  sallied  forth, 
And  in  the  bloody  battle-field 

Have  proved  their  matchless  worth ! 
Before  their  arms  the  invading  foe 

Was  forced  to  turn  and  flee. 
"  O,  the  best  of  land,  we  understand, 

Is'n  the  bend  of  the  Tennessee  !  " 

Our  sister  states  rehearse  the  deeds 

Of  many  a  valiant  son, 
Of  Taylor,  Perry,  Gaines,  and  Scott, 

And  honored  Harrison. 
We  love  them  all,  but  can't  forget 

Our  own  tall  HICKORY  TREE. 
"  O,  the  best  of  land,  we  understand, 

Is'n  the  bend  of  the  Tennessee ! " 

I've  wandered  long,  and  wandered  far, 

Almost  from  pole  to  pole  ; 
Yet  still  the  thought  of  early  friends 

Is  precious  to  my  soul. 
Till  life's  last  hour,  my  tongue  shall  speak 

In  warmest  terms  of  thee. 
"  O,  the  best  of  land,  we  understand, 

Is'n  the  bend  of  the  Tennessee  !  * 


END. 


